Rockeye6

The forge you described is almost exactly what I built. Thanks for the advice

Thanks

How do I know when the coals are hot enough to put my work in? From that point how long would it take for the metal to heat up enough?

I'm using briquettes because that's what I had. I didn't know they burn faster. I built my forge out of an old brake drum with pipe coming out the bottom and to the side for the air supply

I'm using charcoal I got from the store. It usually gets consumed before its hot enough to heat my metal sufficiently

I just built my first forge and I'm trying to get started, but I'm having trouble heating my metal up. Any advice on how to get coals hot enough?