Okay a forge really only consists of a place to make your metal hot.. If you are patient you can use a camp fire and get work done.
The way to get the metal hotter faster is to add air. More air, more oxygen, more heat.
The simplest ways are blowing on it through a tube so your face doesnt' get too hot.. Just don't ever inhale...ever...really don't.
A simple basic forge with better air delivery can be built out of easily available parts
Here on Instructable
He's using galvanized pipe.. .I'd avoid that as Zinc fumes can literally kill you...go "black iron" or some other safer pipe.
Google "How to build a simple forge: to learn many more ways to build a forge, most of which are much nicer to use than the simple ones shown here. I'm just trying to show the very basics of getting started. Youtube has hundreds of options. Also Google "Brake Drum Forge" if you have access to scrap it's the easiest to build. (the link above starts simple then gets hi tech about the time teh clinker breaker is added... smear sum clay around and it would have worked like it was...
Another common starter forge uses a few bricks, some pipe and a hair dryer (on air i assume), or camping bed air pump to blow air into the forge. These are connected together to the pipe via duct tape. a 12v car vent fan blower works great too...
In ancient times they built the first forges on hills, to catch the natural breezes and redirect them into the forge. I hope to make a forge like this, but it's awfully dry in Texas were we have land.
Primitive forgets used bellows of skin with two sticks to open and close the opening...
Or a pair of bellows like drums with a valve inside and 2 tubes joining before they get to the fire.
A small gap is left so hot air does not get sucked back into the bellows.
If you have even a little money to spend, a 12v fan from a vehicle can be had pretty cheaply at an auto salvage place and works pretty well... an 120v ac one is what my coal forge uses. It' rigged into a light dimmer to let me control the air flow.I think it was $40 at mcmaster carr or grainger.
The real key to remember is all you need is a fire... use what you have... my first coal forge blower was a 12 computer fan, screwed into a cardboard box, with a flexible hose coming out of it...Improvise...
Here is a bellow made from 2 cans 1 leather valve and some pipe... the big can is full of water, when you push the smaller can it, it squeezes out the water.
How to make bellows
You wanna see a guy making good stuff uber priamtive?
Malawi smith youtube video
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