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[Mephansteras]

There have been a few mods before that focused on more realistic smelting for specific metals, but I'm looking ahead to the next version.

Specifically, being able to have specific smelters dedicated to doing a specific type of smelting.

Looking through some of the links here, it seems like there are lots of different ways to smelt various metals using pre-industrial technology. Some metals can use the same smelter design, others can't. (Steel, of course, really needs a blast furnace or the like).

So, I'd like this thread to be a place for us modders to come up with the various smelter types we'd need and what restrictions we should put on them. What would be needed to extract Nickle, for example?

As I do more research I'll start putting down some ideas.

[Zwebie]

I could be wrong, but I do not think this is possible, currently. Only solution I can think of is to make your own workshops in, the next version, and not use the defined smelter. But you'll have to wait for that. You could allways simply force yourself to only use one smelter for one type of metal, though.

[Fedor]

I could be wrong, but I do not think this is possible, currently. Only solution I can think of is to make your own workshops in, the next version, and not use the defined smelter. But you'll have to wait for that. You could allways simply force yourself to only use one smelter for one type of metal, though.

Note that this thread is all about what we want to do in the NEXT version, not now.

As for me, I plan not to mod in very many extra types of smelteries.  I will probably stick with 1 smelter type (possibly 2 if doing so would make life easier on the player) and add workshops only to do extra things like working with blocks and construction materials (like cement) or infused/magical substances.

[The13thRonin]

I plan on modding a smelter that smelts smelters...

Not really... I just wanted to be included  .

[PTTG??]

I think that lava power is going to be in, but for some metals, you might need more heat than magma gives. Might be neat if you need a ceramic crucible to build a magma forge. So, all metals that are magma-safe (naturally) can't be melted in a magma forge.

I think it would be fun to have to put in some more thought about what our smithies look like. Having five or six workshops working together with resources being moved from one to the other sounds like fun.

[Mephansteras]

Yeah. I'd also like to be able to include water as a resource for a lot of smelting. Looking over actual smelting techniques, many ores are washed, cooked, and then pulverized and put in a smelter. If you don't do all of that, you don't get as much metal out of the process.

Tin and Lead seem to be some of the easiest things to smelt, followed by copper.

At the very least, I think we should have a basic smelter for metals with lower melting points and a blast furnace for working Iron and Steel.

I'll also have to make some interesting workshops for the various special metals and alloys in my mod.

[LegoLord]

I think that lava power is going to be in, but for some metals, you might need more heat than magma gives. Might be neat if you need a ceramic crucible to build a magma forge. So, all metals that are magma-safe (naturally) can't be melted in a magma forge.

If I'm not mistaken, smelting doesn't involve simply heating an ore until it melts.  Just how complex it gets, I don't quite know, but I know how simple it isn't.

[Mephansteras]

Depends on the ore. Lead, for example, can be melted in a campfire. Ores with higher melting points require more work.

If you follow the link I gave in the OP you can find lots of fascinating reading. I haven't gotten through nearly as much as I'd like, but the more I read the I appreciate the work that goes into smelting and metalworking.

[Andeerz]

I would love to see a mod do this, especially if combined with the minerals and metals overhaul mod that is in development.