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[ChairmanPoo]

I'd like to automate my magma derrick, but dont have any bauxite. Do I need magmaproof mechanisms for my pumps?

It's not a big deal, mind you. I have enough manpower to bring the magma up by hand (and in fact, in the lowest levels of the extraction rig, automation will be difficult to implement), but I'd like to have the facts in my hand for reference.

[NecroRebel]

The mechanisms need to be magma safe if and only if they are going to be submerged in magma. Since you can power screw pumps from above or from above the intake tile in almost all cases, you usually don't need bauxite mechanisms for magmaworks.

Also, it appears that you only need magma safe pump parts if you're actually submerging the pump, so magma safe materials aren't nearly as necessary as many people would have you think.

[ChairmanPoo]

Thanks for the input. IŽll be sure to add some windmills to my rig.

As for the pumps themselves... if you have sand and magma, which is often the case, using glass, hence magma safe, pumps is easier and cheaper than non-magma-safe alternatives (wood, metals that could go into bolts and weapons...)

[Hyndis]

The mechanism only needs to be magma safe if it is submerged in magma.

The easiest way to pump large amounts of magma is to use a standard pump tower. You can have the thing always be powered, but then control the flow with a single tile retractable bridge or hatch over the magma source at the bottom of the pump stack.

If you want to pump magma, pull the lever to retract the bridge or hatch. The pump can now access the magma and will pump it up the stack. This all happens a Z level higher than the magma, so there is no need for magma safe mechanisms at all.

I also build my pumps out of iron, just for the principle of the thing.