[Aeneas]

WOW ... 13 ...

For 13 I would actually recommend making a charcoal forge for your first forge.

Brake drum forges are great with coal and coke, but there are some differences in forge designs between coal and charcoal you should know about.

Coal and coke are much heavier than charcoal and their forge designs tend to be what's called "bottom blast" design. The air delivery comes up from the bottom of the firepot (in this case, the brake drum) through a opening in the centre attached to the tuyere. This gives you an efficient and controlled burn of your fuel.

Charcoal forges are usually "side blast" design which means the air is delivered from the side of the fuel pile through the tuyere. There are some charcoal forges that have air delivery from below, but these tend to have small holes in the tuyere for the air instead of large openings (1" or larger) like in other forges. There are some great plans for a washtub forge in this forum (look them up).

The reason for this major difference in coal and charcoal is mainly because charcoal in a bottom blast forge (like a brake drum) would be blown up and out of the forge by the air balst because it is so light - this makes a huge shower of sparks and embers making a very dangerous situation. This doesn't happen with coal or coke because it is heavier.

Charcoal forges are really easy to build. You could build a simple forge with a 4" deep table packed to the top with sand, some fireplace bricks as a heat shield for your air supply, a 1" steel or copper pipe for your tuyere and an old hairdryer with a high and low speed for your blower - no welding skills needed. Should do for most smithing applications as you learn techniques (maybe not forge welding).

The other reason I recommend charcoal is that it is usually easier to find and buy than coal or coke (depending where you live). You do burn up charcoal much faster than coal or coke, but you're only 13, you're not making a carreer of this (at least not yet) so you probably won't be running your forge as long as some of the people in this forum do. Fuel costs won't be as crucial an issue for you as it would be for a full-time smith. A jumbo bag of charcoal can last you quite a while when you're first starting out. Later as you get older and more experience under your hammer, you can always switch to coal, coke or propane.

The other thing i like about charcoal is its safety. Coal and coke can stay hot for quite a while after you've turned off your blower and finished for the day. You could have glowing hot coals underneath a layer that looks like it's cold. Charcoal burns itself out completely in a shorter time. Its a minor point but I feel better at the end of a demo knowing that I will end up with cold ashes when I pack stuff up.

I'm glad to here your parents are supportive in this - you're a lucky guy. I hope you have a lot of fun with whatever forge you build.
Don't be afraid to ask question - you have an unbelievable resource in the skills and knowledge from all the people on this forum.

Aeneas