ErictheRed1990

i was just trying i ttoday with briquets, and i noticed it was eating ALOT of charcoal.... so with lump charcoal it is better?

Just set up my first forge and it is a brake drum, i have a shop vac hooked up to it .... now im trying out charcoal to see if it works.... if anyone else has used charcoal please let me know... but i noticed it wasnt getting hot enough to actually make the metal 'glow' red or anything, is that normal with charcoal ? another question, seeing as how im brand new to blacksmithing; am i supposed to bury the metal in the charcoals or just put it ontop? any tips or insight would be great thanks.

Ive decided im going to build a charcoal or coal forge now im just curious about the quality of the charcoal required, is this something i can buy from my local grocery store or do i need a specific type? even for just practice is the stuff from a grocery store....workable lol thanks for any answers