I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, and for piercing aquifers it's only really useful on volcano embarks, but it is pretty easy to pierce an aquifer layer with magma. The same technique can be used to create magma workshops on the same level as the rest of your fortress, without all that messy machinery. It's really a modified version of the minecart pump (or water cannon). This is how I did it:
Channel out a tile that you will fill with magma. Create an access point next to said tile, so your dwarves can get in and out of it (stairs or ramp, your choice). Construct a ramp leading out of the magma tile. Build a track leading up to the magma tile, and build a track stop at the end. Put some kind of accelerator on the track, before the magma tile. Create a haul route, set it to leave immediately and set it to be pushed. Then create a stop at the end of the track, and remove all depart conditions. Also, build a track stop at the end of the route to catch the cart.
Build track (I had to b-C-T construct it rather than d-T carve it) leading up to piercing point (in this case, from the north). It should be long enough to prevent steam burns. Build a track stop on the piercing point set to dump south. channel the tile just south of the piercing point, (the dump point). Create haul route, and create a stop at the north end of the track, set it to leave immediately and set it to be pushed. Then create a stop at the bottom of the track, and remove all depart conditions. Finally, fill the channel with 7/7 magma. If it's less than 7/7, it won't work (or it didn't work for me.)
Now, create a magma safe minecart. Assign it to track 1, stop 1. It should get pushed, run through the magma, and come out the other end, filled with delicious red fiery goodness. Next, assign it to track 2, stop 1. The dwarfs will carry the minecart to stop 2. Then the minecart will run down the track and create obsidian in the aquifer layer.
Deconstruct the track stop, and construct a new one facing east. Repeat the process to make obsidian there. Deconstruct the track stop, and construct a new one facing west. Repeat the process to make obsidian there. Deconstruct the track stop, and deconstruct the track on the pierce point, and just north of the fill point Create a track stop on the tile two tiles north of the pierce point, set to dump south. Then channel out the tile just north of the fill point. Make obsidian there. Now the middle tile can be turned into stairs, and your aquifer is pierced.
A multi-layer aquifer is a bit more work, but doable using the same technique.
If you just want to move the magma, follow the same instructions as above, but instead of creating the dump stop on the piercing point, create it just north of the fill point, and channel out the fill point. Repeat the magma moving procedure twice to get 4/7 magma, which is enough for the magma workshops. (BTW, magma workshops don't use up the magma.)
The problem I've had is getting the speed right, as the minecarts sometimes get stuck in the filling pool, but it does work at least some of the time. Maybe an accelerator in the magma would help, or more speed before entering the magma.
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Topic: Carrying magma around by hand and piercing an aquifer with it (Read 1294 times)