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[Thnikkafan]

I was thinking about how vital sand is, and how people who don't start on a map with some are screwed. Here's a simple counter: have querns and millstones be able to grind stone into sand. However, it would have to be softer than the millstone stone, or it would break it.

Any feedback?

[Pilsu]

Powdered rock is not sand

[Thnikkafan]

I thought it was...

[Gork]

Some sedimentary rocks are formed by the aggregation of sand-like, fine particles, so I guess you could crush some of them, but I'm not sure a mill could make it. Can you import sandbags already? If not, I think they'd make a fine addition to Elven caravans.

[Pilsu]

I thought it was...

Well sand has rock in it too but the ingredient you want is silica. Crushing quartz might get you usable powder but other types of rock, not so much

[Steely Glint]

Well sand has rock in it too but the ingredient you want is silica. Crushing quartz might get you usable powder but other types of rock, not so much

There are a lot of rock types that have a high silica content and could be turned into sand. Chert, flint, quartz, and sandstone are possibilities. Heck, obsidian is already glass before any processing takes place.

It would take a lot of labor or a powerful crushing machine to actually powder the stone, but I'd say our dwarves are up to it.

[Footkerchief]

Sand isn't necessarily silica.  This oversimplification gets made, I think, because people can't conceive of any use for sand besides glassmaking.  There are many other DF-relevant uses of sand for which silica content doesn't matter -- concrete, sand casting, abrasives, etc.

Sand in general is due for an overhaul.  The "black sand" and "red sand" type stuff is kind of wishy-washy compared to the precise rock types we currently have.  Sands are kind of weird because they're "powders" of specific minerals, but may have totally different geological occurrences -- this makes me uncertain whether they should have their own entries in the stone/soil raws or not.  In addition, sands aren't pure -- powder mixing has to be handled, although it shouldn't be too different from liquid/contaminant mixing, which is in the dev items already.  And then you need to figure out how mixed sands should show up during world gen etc., and what silica percentage makes glassmaking worthwhile.

Anyway, yes, you should be able mill sand but not necessarily use it for glassmaking.

[BradB]

Rock-crushing duty for prisoners/POWs anyone?

They do really need something to mentally stimulate them, sitting in a 2x1 room can't be much fun.

[Neonivek]

By some definitions YES rock can be grind into sand (As sand is sometimes defined as loose grains of rock up to a certain size rather then what it is composed of). In fact that is how I define sand and how I was taught in class to define sand.

HOWEVER!!! Sand from just any old rock is useless for Glass

[Entropy]

A steel rock crusher workshop would work well for this - but yes, it would have to be certain kinds of rock for glassmaking porpoises (those damn fish are so picky).

This might also be another method of getting rid of all that excess rock.