Gas vs charcoal grill for heat treating knives - which wins?

Been messing with heat treating my own blades for about 6 months now and I keep going back and forth between my gas forge and a little charcoal setup I built from a brake drum. The gas forge is way faster and cleaner, but I swear the charcoal gives me more even heat across the blade with less hot spots. Last week I ruined a 1095 blade in the gas forge because the edge got too hot while the spine was still below temp. Took me 3 tries to get it right with charcoal instead of 1 try. Am I crazy or does charcoal actually do a better job for small knives? What are you guys using for heat treating?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant7281d ago

Man, I feel your pain on that 1095 blade. I've been there with a gas forge and it's brutal when you see that edge start to glow while the spine is still dark. I actually switched to charcoal for heat treating small blades and it's been a game changer for me. The even heat is real, especially with a brake drum setup (I use a cast iron skillet, works great). Takes longer to get up to temp but I'd rather wait 20 minutes than scrap a blade because of hot spots. Plus there's something really satisfying about watching the coals glow, makes you feel like a real old school smith.

oliver_mitchell1d ago

Dude you just blew my mind a little. I've been stubbornly running my gas forge for everything because I'm all about that speed and convenience, but you're making a killer point. I've got a brake drum setup sitting in my yard that I messed with once and hated because it took forever to get hot. But honestly I've been fighting with that exact 1095 problem you mentioned, edge getting cherry red while the spine is still dull. I just assumed I was doing something wrong with my technique. Now I'm thinking I gotta give that old drum another shot and just deal with the extra 20 minutes if it saves me from scrapping another blade. Makes total sense that the radiant heat from charcoal would be way more even than a torch flame blasting one spot.