Thank you for this information! I have been forging with anthracite for about a year and a half now, and its nice to see information brought together to make things easier. One thing, the smaller size coal from tractor supply really likes to pop and jump, and will bite you pretty solidly. I have had decent success using the bigger size, then putting the smaller on top as a gap-filler. Other than chasing the fire around sometimes, It works ok at keeping the fire hot when I cant crank for a minute or two.
What I haven't had any success in is mounding it up and poking the hole in the top for the little volcano (Pardon the childish imagery). Does Anthracite need a hole poked down into the fireball?
Thanks again,
Randell