Had to pick between a hand crank blower and an electric one for my new forge setup

Last month I finally got my own forge going in the garage, and I had to decide if I wanted to spend $60 on a vintage hand crank blower from a flea market or $150 on a new electric blower. I went with the hand crank because I thought it would be more authentic and quiet. First fire up, I spent 20 minutes huffing and puffing while cranking that thing like a madman before I got a decent heat. Now I'm wondering if I should have just coughed up the cash for the electric one. Has anyone else made the mistake of going old school just for the vibe?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben_ross519d ago

People always do this with anything old school, not just forges. Trade a crappy experience for the idea of a vibe and end up regretting it.

kevin_harris788d ago

Trade a crappy experience for the vibe" - that's the thing though, the crappy experience was part of the vibe for people back then. Like when I was a kid building shitty tree forts, the splinters and wobbly boards were what made it feel real. You can't recreate that by putting nostalgia goggles on.