My forge has recently been put together and its been over a month and my coal got left out in the weather. so i was wondering if i could use wood would it get hot enough any help is welcome.

 

The Traveling Blacksmith

Once the wood burns down to a bed of coals your golden, either start a seperat fire and transfer the hot coals, by lump charcoal or build a retort and make your own.
Bit of rain shouldn't hurt your coal, as you use water to manage the fire. Start a small wood fire to dry out the coal and go to work.

IF you start a charcoal fire, then add damp coal to it, I would think coal would dry out enough to burn quite well.... After all you use water to control heat and fire size with coal do you not?

From my initial venture into forge work I found charcoal to be very underrated for heat....Once my coal arrived I was very happy about the "heat" and the time my metals spent in fire was quite a bit shorter with coal...

Dale

While I've had very good success with both coal and charcoal, I prefer coal due to the relative ease of fire tending. Wet coal is fine. Just heap it around the outside and as it dries/cokes, push it and break it up into the center.

A bit of weather won't hurt it.  After all it's been buried in the ground and exposed to rainwater for how many years?  :)

Wet coal?

I realize it is a valid question, and in trying to do things right the first time it should be ask.

 

Take some small pieces of the coal, the size of a marble or less, and place them on the fire you build from sticks or kindling. As they catch fire they will generate enough heat to catch the next double hand full of coal on fire. Repeat as needed, always keeping a hole in the top (think volcano) for the smoke and fire to exit.

Wow I went out to the forge the other day and got a good wood fire started and raked in the coal/coke from the last run.  Once that got going good I chiseled out chunks of coal that is stored in a bucket of water before use that had frozen solid.  Laid the chunks on the side so they would thaw out and slump into the fire without putting out the core of the fire and did great---had several forge welds to do and no problem.  So soaking wet frozen coal can be used.  Unless your weather is worse than that you should be OK.