My propane forge flameout ruined a day's work

Was finishing a gate hinge. Forge sputtered and died. Steel cooled too fast. Now it's warped. Any tips on maintaining steady heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephb351mo ago

Look, chasing perfect steady heat is a waste of time. That warp gives the hinge character, shows it was made by hand. I've seen guys spend more hours fiddling with regulator gauges and cleaning burners than they do actually forging. Sometimes the metal has a mind of its own and fighting it just ruins the flow. A little imperfection proves it's real, not some factory stamped part.

keving931mo ago

Spent ages trying to flatten a copper bowl I was hammering, and it just went lopsided. I felt like such a fool for fighting the metal instead of listening to it. josephb35 has a point about how chasing perfect heat can ruin the flow. My bowl now has a wobble, but it holds fruit just fine and reminds me not to be so stubborn. That little flaw makes it mine, not something you'd buy in a store. Sometimes good enough is better than perfect, because it has a story.

paigewest1mo ago

My buddy sanded a knife handle so smooth it felt like plastic, totally lost the wood grain. It's like josephb35 said, you can polish the life right out of a thing. Now he leaves a little texture so you know what you're holding.