forgersplorger

First time black smithing, still a child (17) and have very cheap healthcare where I live. Something about shaping hot steel really calls out to me more than any other activity. Made the entire setup at home so it's not that good but it gets the job done for the most part. Really excited to see how this pans out. For now I'm using a janky setup but I want to improve it over time. Really excited to become a member of thi community.

I am a new smith with a home-made coal forge. The coal available in my area is charcoal but I cant seem to get any forge wels on it. Im pretty sure the temperature is hot enough, I can get the metal (rebar steel) sparkling hot. but everytime I try to join the 2 together it fails. every time I try to inspect the well there is a lot of scale and ash in between the welding surfaces. does anyone know of anyway I can get around this if any additional information is required then I will be more than happy to provide. Also is it possible to first fasten the two weld surfaces together and then heat them so that nothing can get in between could that work.