I look like an extra in a mining horror movie

This is a coal forge.  It's the main forge used in The Village Blacksmith shop.  Obviously, it burns coal.  Now, there are pros and cons to this type of forge, so I'll just go ahead and tell you about them.  Now, here's what's so great about the coal forge--it's hot.  No, but really, gas forges don't get anywhere near as hot as a coal forge does.  It's also really big, about a yard across, and a yard back, which means you can use bigger pieces in it.  Also, the heating area can be as big or as small as you like, depending on what angle you hold your piece at.  Another way to control the heating area is with a water sprinkler.  Because it burns so hot, unless you pour gallons of water on it, the fire won't go out, just shrink, so using water to control where the heat in the forge is works very well.

And the cons.  When you first try to light it, you clean out the dust from the coal pit, pile newspaper in there, light it, and then toss the coal in.  So, Ken, the Master Blacksmith, showed me one day.  He lit it on the first try with pretty much no hassle, then told me it was difficult to do, and I was like:

Then, the next day, he asked me to light it.  So, I tried like he had done.

Three times.

By the time I was filling the pit for the fourth time, I was ready to just jump into the pond next door and drown in my stupidity.  Finally, Sarah and Gary--two other blacksmiths who work with Ken--took pity on me and lit the darn thing.

So, yes, it is difficult to light.  On top of which, the coal burns hot.  This means, you have to watch your piece the entire time, because if you don't, you could end up with a melted puddle of iron.  Joy.

And, finally, it spits.  If you've never had a hot coal fall into your glove, it's a lot like having a hot coal fall into your glove.  Really, it just gets stuck to your hand and burns, and there's no other way to describe it.

So, coal forge.  Nice, but not really.