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I would love to have this!

42 (58.3%)

I'd use it, but I use Civilization Forge anyway so I don't need a separate mod

8 (11.1%)

I might try it out

16 (22.2%)

Sounds too complicated, I wouldn't use it

6 (8.3%)

Other

0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 72

[godisdead132]

soft iron (pure iron) was very hard to make back then and practicly useless so you could eliminate it entirely wrought iron is iron ore heated in a reductive atmosphere and repetedly hammered to drive out the slag and other impurties it still had a large amount of slag in it which lead to a kind of grain structure (like wood) in the metal which helped srengthen it
casting iron anvils might work im not sure the resulting anvil might be too brittle to use due to the fact that cast iron is non ductile and is covered in micro cracks along its surface (funny stories about people trying to make cast iron bridges back in the 19th century you can build the bridge but the second you put weight on it it shatters because it cant bend)
flux should be used for all iron reactions but you can make it more common
other than that sounds like a good mod

[Mephansteras]

Well, by 'casting' an Iron anvil I mean more heating up the iron into a large clump and hammering it into the desired shape. Actual 'cast' iron was completely unknown in the West until quite late, although the Chinese had cast iron for a long time.

Also, as far as my research has gone, using limestone flux was only used for Blast Furnaces. Neither patten-welded steel nor crucible steel used it at all.

[0x517A5D]

Also, as far as my research has gone, using limestone flux was only used for Blast Furnaces. Neither patten-welded steel nor crucible steel used it at all.

I think that's true.  The calcium oxide from the limestone reacts with the slag from the ore, making a slag that's both lighter and more able to absorb impurities.  It is not a factor in reducing the iron from the ore, but it particularly reacts with the silicon oxides found in large quantity in almost all iron ore.

This only affects large-scale operations where the charge is completely melted and gravity is a significant factor in separating the slag from the pig iron.  So blast furnaces.

As far as I can determine, the DF steelmaking process does not actually model any particular real-world process.

[godisdead132]

high temp iron working requires some kind of agent to protect the charge from massive oxidization generaly it was the reducing atmosphere in the furnace but at higher temps the oxigen content increases and you need somthing to cover the metal this is generaly achievied by the slag but it can be too thick or have too much sulfer or phosphorus rendering the metal unuseable so purifying agents were generaly added in higher temp work glass would work pretty much anything that melts easily and is not high in sulfer phosphorus aluminium or other problematic elements.

[Mephansteras]

Yes, but you only get iron hot enough to melt in a blast furnace. The other forms of steel making don't actually melt the iron, they just heat it up and add carbon to it. So flux isn't needed. Glass was used in some crucible smelters, however.

[Bishop36]

So how is this coming along? Can I have any raws you have made so I can finish it for myself, if you have scrapped this idea that is.

[Mephansteras]

I'm still planning on releasing it. It's already been released in Civilization Forge 2.1, and I'm just waiting on feedback from that to make sure that everything is working well and balanced before I go through the effort to spit it off and release it as a standalone mod.

[Arkenstone]

I was wondering, that if all this specialized equipment is needed to make steel, then what about adamantine

We need our most creative fanfic writers to tackle this issue!

[Bishop36]

Personally I would love for processing adamantine to be linked to some kind of magic system (more subtle than fireballs and turning people into sheep). Perhaps having to make certain runes (should be harder than it sounds) and build a workshop out of them, after processing one unit of adamantine the runes will have to recharge for a while (half a year or so)

[Andeerz]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=47914.msg1182154#msg1182154

This is an awesome metallurgy thread... take a look-see if you haven't already.  Good info here.

Also, The Knight and the Blast Furnace = best book for this subject ever if you can afford it or find a copy.

[wolflance]

I will be glad to include this in my DF!

Just some nitpicking, but I think the 'Finishing Forge' should be called 'Finery Forge' ?

From my (very limited) knowledge of steelmaking, the process can be simplify as :

Iron Ore ---->Bloomery (Bloom/Sponge Iron) ---->Finery Forge (Wrought Iron or Pattern Welded Steel)

Iron Ore + Flux ---->Blast Furnance (Pig Iron) ---->Finery Forge (Wrought Iron or Pattern Welded Steel)

Wrought Iron (or Iron Ore?) + Charcoal + Glass(?) ---->Process at Crucible = Crucible Steel


I dug out these information from random internet sources, so I am not sure about its accuracy.

[Mephansteras]

There are quite a lot of ways to make iron, apparently. I took a few sample ways of doing it based on a bunch of research I did. I also made a few balance decisions for game play purposes.

I used Finishing Forge instead of Finery Forge because I figured it'd be less confusing.

[wolflance]

I understand, and thank you so much for your effort!

Looking  forward to play this!

[UnLimiTeD]

Quite the awesome.
However, I guess I'll just use Civ Mod and remove all those pesky star wars creatures and dinosaurs.
Not quite sure what I should vote for, looks like it's decided anyways.

[Lancensis]

I was wondering, that if all this specialized equipment is needed to make steel, then what about adamantine

We need our most creative fanfic writers to tackle this issue!

Nah. Just shove it in a nuclear furnace. Nothing subtle here.