if you don't get them burning right away...wad of paper, some small twigs which we have so many anyway, coal is around the pile and as the twigs burn push the coal into that fire. Seems to work for me. Now keeping a hand pump fire even as a electric blower?
Nope not happening here! Heck I even had the wife pumping the handle, she was cutting back a bush next to the shed and commenting on the smoke and flames. She stopped complaining about the smoke!
We were heating up old water hand pump foot valves and cylinders to get them apart. Oh there was one short burst of cuss words when a small hot spark jumped from the pot inconveniently or very appropriately down her shirt. Of course that was my fault, missed seeing it but saw the after dance.
Btw added a small shield to the fire pot to protect the wooden handle, that will keep the handle cool. pic from the C-O #8 catalog, pretty sure this is this forge.