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[WillNZ]

quote: On the other hand, do you really want dwarves smelting out mercury, and having them make +mercury armor+?

No. But on the other hand, mercury moats would be awesome.

[Alfador]

quote:Originally posted by Draco18s:
<STRONG>

Although to be honest, itd have to be a 14 pound ball (the minimum required for an explosion), and even that's stable when you smash it against things (though it'll get really hot and melt through them).  It has to be compressed a lot before it undergoes a sustained nuclear reaction (a bare sphere of U-235 at 52kb needs to be 17 cm in diameter before reaching critical mass).

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass</STRONG>

Actually the compression pushes a subcritical mass's density up, making it critical by virtue of its lower surface area (fewer neutrons escape).

a) The uranium in the first dwarven fission device is likely to be quite impure, meaning the critical mass is far higher...

b) ...but the GIANT in "giant spiked ball" means it really could still be so.

c) And perhaps the reason it only explodes once the ball is finished crafting is that all those menacing spikes are really neutron reflectors...

[Asehujiko]

Depending on the density of the uranium in which it is forged, even a non explosive force can compress it to critical mass.

In theory, caveins could cause detonation too.

[Dasqoot]

I assume that the alchemists lab will one day have a use for cinnabar. I'd like to see mercury in use for automatic pressure gauges and toilet float valves(bathrooms will be the best thing ever).

Not being able to smelt cobalt makes me weep though =(. You could always add in a reaction for cobaltite to produce iron and nickel though. You can never have too much iron or nickel. It would take an ungodly amount of blocks to make a single bar though.

[ikkonoishi]

quote:Originally posted by WillNZ:
<STRONG>

No. But on the other hand, mercury moats would be awesome.</STRONG>

Until the goblins simply walk across it.

[umiman]

I'd enjoy it if the alchemist workshop could be used as a way to counter all these problems. I mean... hey. It's "alchemy" right?

For example:
The oxygen-enriched magma flamethrower and barbecue set. (which also doubles as an upgraded magma smelter)
Radioactive material refinement
Radioactive weaponry (aka magical runes!)
T-2000 liquid mercury Dwarven Armour (IMMUNE TO BOLTS!)

[Alfador]

quote:Originally posted by ikkonoishi:
<STRONG>

Until the goblins simply walk across it.</STRONG>

Ooh! Quicksand moats would own. Especially if you hid them in the middle of swampland so they wouldn't suspect that these staggering losses weren't due to natural formations. >:3

[Furious Fish]

Bauxite doesn't turn into aluminium through smelting. Melting down bauxite just gives you . . . melted bauxite. To make aluminium you need electricity, which is beyond dwarven technology (at least for now).

[Thallone]

quote:Originally posted by Shadowlord:
<STRONG>Also, did you know that bauxite is, in real life, an aluminum ore? (I imagine the melting point is so high in DF because dwarves aren't supposed to be able to smelt it)</STRONG>

from here

For example, direct reduction with carbon is not economically viable, since aluminium oxide has a melting point of about 2,000 °C
Edit: for clarity, magma has temperatures extending up to 2000 °F or so.

[ January 25, 2008: Message edited by: Thallone ]

[Neskiairti]

well about the mercury.. it could be used to make felt and some times your felt makers would go mad! (huray for mad hatters!)

[Sean Mirrsen]

In layman's terms (mine), bauxite turns into aluminium when heated in the presence of carbon - so-called chemical reduction. So, smelting bauxite is possible without electricity, but at too-high temperatures. I see no reason to not include it as an ore though, DF being a meta-fantasy world and all, but I guess the Almighty knows best, as always. One more reason to make aluminium valuable.

[Alfador]

Wait for magic to be implemented--then an alchemist could transmute bauxite to aluminum and impurities. They could also transmute rusted iron objects to pristine iron objects and oxygen--of course, first rusting has to be implemented.