I'm not sure if a hair drier will keep tenough airflow. It may though. I use a cheap squirrel-cage blower. Careful not to get it too close though. The radiant energy can be enough to melt plastic if it's too close.

I usually use a mixture of charcoal and hickory chunks. Let them burn down (usually blower-assisted) to where I have a decent bed of coals. To keep it hot enough, I adjust the aim of the blower to where the coals are a bright orange, orange-yellow. You'll quickly find what works for you.

I posted a color-temperature chart a while back so you can compare the temperature of the steel to its color. I usually try to keep mine around 1800F. I'll see if I can find it. It's a crude, subjective way of measuring temp, but it beats the price of a decent forge oven.