BigfootKris

Many thanks for all your advice and quick responses, I am based in Shropshire, which seems to be quite a haven for blacksmiths. I guess I just need a bit more patience with the coke, the coalyard nearby was recomended by a smith at a local show and I grabbed a few bags the next day, but never having lit a forge with it I didn't know what to expect. Hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow and I can have another crack at it.
G Thanks for the advise about lifting the forge, I've got it up on a flagstone, and seems quite comfortable at the minute, but I can see many hours of cranking ahead.

I'll keep you all posted as to how I get on.

Kris

Hi all, I'm in need of a bit of help and advice, I've recently setup a small forge in the garden to start learning a bit of smithing and generally to get a bit creative with lumps of metal. It is made up from 2 scrappy old farriers (?) forges I got off of ebay. My problem is that I've had to use a bit of guesswork when reconstructing it, and after the initial success of a trial run with some charcoal, now I've got some Coke, I cannot get it to light properly or hold a decent fire. I am wondering if I need to build a fire pot in front of the tuyere, or raise the base of the forge up (It is 3" from the air hole at the moment)?
I've read about lining the bottom of the forge with sand, is this right?
Any advise would be greatfully accepted, as finding pictures of the bases of forges is seeming hard.