fossilmaniac

Before I found a source of coal / coke, I acquired old pallets. Many are hardwood of some type and I just cut them into chunks with my skill saw and use them. Works great but like another one suggested, it does take alot of wood so make a big pile before firing up the forge. Many shops are happy for you to get rid of their old pallets and will gladly let you have them or if you have a silver tongue, pay you to haul them off. Never overlook the obvious and free. fossilmaniac

If you ever get into the smoke from welding galvanized metal then the best thing to do is treat it like heavy metal poisoning. Immediatley drink lots of milk. That helps to chelate the zinc and bind it to the protien thus enabling your body to process it and excrete it.