Heating metal is a crucial step in the forging process. You can't just use your hammer and anvil to forge metal, otherwise you will end up with a useless lump of metal. The first thing that you need is a suitable heat source for your metal. This could be an electric heating element, or perhaps a gas burner. If you've ever attempted to heat metal for forging, then you will be impressed with this article. The techniques discussed here are simple and easy to follow, so I'm sure that anyone can get the hang of them
1) Start by placing your metal on top of a sheet of paper or cardboard (this is known as 'muffling')
2) Place your piece of heated metal on top of your work piece and bring it into contact with the work piece using your hammer and anvil
3) Place more muffled pieces around the first piece so that they overlap each other by around 1 inch (2cm).
how to heat metal for forging