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[Rakonas]

I believe, that to secure a metalsmithingful future for our posterity, we must limit our dependence on fossil fuels and magma. What do we do when there are is no magma, coal, nor trees? Our metalworking industry simply collapses, or worse yet, never forms.
We truly ought to look into forms of alternative energy. 3 waterwheels could surely power a forge, could they not? Yet we continue to burn trees that take forever to grow back or coal which never even grows back in order to fuel our industry. For the good of the dwarven race, we must limit our dependence on wood imports from evil radical elves for charcoal production!

[ChairmanPoo]

A water wheel is no substitute for a blast furnace. So I disagree

[Sean Mirrsen]

Sure it would. However, without some heat to soften the metal, actually forging things would be difficult even with mechanical assistance. You could make cold iron things that way though, which is supposed to be harmful to demons (or devils?). In any case, unless you plan to make heat by atomsmashing pitchblende, a purely mechanical forge will not be able to produce anything beyond a limited set of iron items. And you would still need to get smelted metal bars from somewhere.

[ChairmanPoo]

I dont think that it qualifies as a forge if you are not forging things

[Winterbrass]

On the other hand, I could see gears operating some piece of machinery that operated a bellows in a Wood Furnace, permitting us to make charcoal or ash with a greatly reduced work duration.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Well, cold iron is really "forged", if you consider hammering stuff into shape forging. It just isn't heated up prior to hammering. So, that way you could turn iron bars into iron weapons without heating, it would just require an inordinate amount of effort. Or a powered hammer doing 180HPM (Hammerings Per Minute).

[Winterbrass]

(Hammerings Per Minute)

An automated Justice implement dishing out Hammerings to criminals brought to the jail?

Urist McMandateevader cancels Contemplate Machinery: Mind blown.

[HammerHand]

A water wheel?  Are ye daft?  In order t'forge somethin', ye gotta be able te heat it oop!  What we need here is jest a matter o' a new sort o' fuel!  Oh, aye, somethin' flammable an' plentiful an' somethin' we dunnae care about losin'.  Somethin' that keeps comin' back no matter how many we seem t'get rid of.

... Like Goblins!
... or Nobles!
... or cats!

</Dwarven Accent>

[Grendus]

Elf powered forges.

Alternatively, if you have a large excess of booze...

[PaperJack]

What! Wasting booze in such a manner! Heretic!

[Duke 2.0]

 I'm sure booze-flavored furnaces will be widely accepted through the dwarven empire. Then problems will arise when some sober dwarf smells the beer used to make the weapons the guard uses and somehow impales themselves trying to lick said weapons.

[RandomNumberGenerator]

What do we do when there are is no magma

BLASPHEMY! There is ALWAYS magma!

[Pilsu]

On the other hand, I could see gears operating some piece of machinery that operated a bellows in a Wood Furnace, permitting us to make charcoal or ash with a greatly reduced work duration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal

[LordZorintrhox]

Uh, Pilsu is right: the point of making charcoal is to combust wood in a low-oxygen environment.  Billows are the opposite of what you want in a charcoal furnace.

It would be awesome, and more appropriate, for standard forges to use mechanical bellows though.  Charcoal and coke won't burn hot enough without extra oxygen.

[Winterbrass]

Uh, Pilsu is right: the point of making charcoal is to combust wood in a low-oxygen environment.  Billows are the opposite of what you want in a charcoal furnace.

It would be awesome, and more appropriate, for standard forges to use mechanical bellows though.  Charcoal and coke won't burn hot enough without extra oxygen.

Er. My bad. This dwarf is not really up on his woodburning. On the other hand, would be appropriate for ash production.