Tried coke vs. coal in my forge last weekend and the difference was night and day

I picked up a bag of coke from a guy down the road and figured I'd give it a shot after burning through anthracite for months. The coke got my steel up to welding heat in half the time with way less clinker buildup. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big change in their fuel consumption?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.laura1mo agoMost Upvoted

Buddy of mine tried the same thing last summer. He was running bituminous coal for years. Swapped to coke and his fuel bill dropped almost 40% over three months. Said his anvil rang cleaner too, less crud in the steel.

grant.jade1mo ago

Happened to get talking with a old timer at the scrapyard a few weeks back, he was dead set on using charcoal for his forge, swore by it for over 40 years. Said it burns so clean you could cook on it and the steel never picks up any sulfur or phosphorus from the fuel. I mentioned coke to him and he just laughed, said he tried it once back in the 80s and the fumes near knocked him out, went right back to charcoal. Guess it's like anything else, what works for one guy might be a total headache for another. Probably depends on your setup too, some forges just breathe different with different fuels.