Ah, hand crank blower. Never tried one of those, let me know how it works for you. I have one antique pedal-powered heart and one bigger with electro-powered blower. Don't use it the latter much, unless I make some large items that need lots of heat.
I'm using black coal, over here it's called just "blacksmith coal" and it's generally the best grade of black coal. Some guys I know actuly use charcoal and many swear it's better. I tried it couple times and didn't see much difference myself, other than it smells better.
You can use pretty much any coal, though the better grade you have, the longer it lasts and the higher temperature you can achieve. For small items and for first learning experiments, you can even use hardwood.