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[forsaken1111]

Glass is a pretty broad concept too, what makes you think they'd have used high impurity green glass?

If you can throw raw chalk or marble in there and get it to work, why not green glass? Is chalk/marble somehow more pure than melted sand?

[Pilsu]

If you can throw raw chalk or marble in there and get it to work, why not green glass? Is chalk/marble somehow more pure than melted sand?

Well apparently chalk, marble or limestone have the qualities needed to function as a flux. Throwing in glass because of a vague historical reference doesn't sound too solid of a suggestion

For instance, the wikipedia article on glass mentions lime obtained from limestone. It could simply be a modern recipe but it's a bit big for a coincidence, no?

[forsaken1111]

If you can throw raw chalk or marble in there and get it to work, why not green glass? Is chalk/marble somehow more pure than melted sand?

Well apparently chalk, marble or limestone have the qualities needed to function as a flux. Throwing in glass because of a vague historical reference doesn't sound too solid of a suggestion

For instance, the wikipedia article on glass mentions lime obtained from limestone. It could simply be a modern recipe but it's a bit big for a coincidence, no?

From an article on enamels in Encycolpedia Britannica (Emphasis mine)

Enamel is a comparatively soft glass, a compound of flint or sand, red lead, and soda or potash. These materials are melted together, producing an almost clear glass, with a slightly bluish or greenish tinge; this substance is known as flux

Just because something is or isn't on wikipedia doesn't make it true, so I found a more reliable source.

[Sowelu]

You're kidding, right?  The Encyclopedia Brittanica is about as reliable as Wikipedia, only slightly moreso because Brittanica doesn't have many pages with "Fred eats cheese" hidden somewhere in the text.  Wikipedia is a great resource.  It's just not something you can quote for anything important, because if you were (say) writing a paper and referencing Wikipedia, who's to say you didn't change Wikipedia to suit your findings?

(While we're totally off-topic:  Please, please, if you have a new modding question, DO make a new topic!  After a quick search to see that it hasn't been asked before, at least.  We can't have too many different topics, as long as they're unique and not trivial.  Yours was good I think.)

I uh...I don't actually have anything important to add...

[forsaken1111]

Also as to the point of green glass having too many impurities, or whatever... lets look at the list of other flux materials on wikipedia...

    * borax - used for brazing
    * beeswax
    * tallow - used with lead
    * paraffin
    * palm oil
    * zinc chloride (aka killed spirits)
    * zinc chloride & sal ammoniac
    * olive oil & sal ammoniac, 50/50 - for iron
    * rosin, tallow, olive oil, zinc chloride - for aluminium
    * cryolite
    * cryolite & phosphoric acid
    * phosphoric acid & alcohol
    * cryolite & barium chloride
    * oleic acid
    * magnesium chloride, sodium chloride & potassium chloride.

So we can throw RENDERED ANIMAL FAT in as flux, but melted sand is too terribly impure. 

[Footkerchief]

Since the thread has degenerated in this direction -- you should note that there isn't a single definition of flux or even a single metallurgical definition.  That wikipedia page is mainly about flux for welding and soldering.

If you check the chemical equations on the smelting page, you'll see that they all use carbon as a reducing agent -- specifically, carbonate rocks, which happen to include all of the DF flux stones.

Disclaimer: I'm not a chemist or metallurgist, just talking out my ass here, going to go eat turkey now, etc.

e: also, all of the sites that sell "glass flux" are advertising it for welding and soldering

[forsaken1111]

Since the thread has degenerated in this direction -- you should note that there isn't a single definition of flux or even a single metallurgical definition.  That wikipedia page is mainly about flux for welding and soldering.

If you check the chemical equations on the smelting page, you'll see that they all use carbon as a reducing agent -- specifically, carbonate rocks, which happen to include all of the DF flux stones.

Disclaimer: I'm not a chemist or metallurgist, just talking out my ass here, going to go eat turkey now, etc.

e: also, all of the sites that sell "glass flux" are advertising it for welding and soldering

That may be the case, I honestly don't know. Nor do I really understand why people are that upset about using glass as a flux in a fantasy video game. I saw it mentioned as a common flux material when making damascus steel which is good enough for me.

btw those reactions worked fine for me, thanks a lot.