Setting up
Light your first fire without burning the shed down.
Find your spot
A forge wants three things: ventilation, a fireproof floor, and somewhere to hang your tongs where you won't trip over them. A garage corner works. A shed with a window works better.
The first light
fuel lump charcoal or propane, never briquettes air a hairdryer with a valve is a real forge floor firebrick or a steel tray, not plywood extinguish keep a bucket of sand next to the fire
Your first piece
Don't start with a knife. Start with a hook — a foot of 6mm round bar, one end flattened, the other curled. It teaches you to heat, hammer, and finish in twenty minutes, and you'll actually use it.