Ore into bars
Match ore with a fuel that burns hot enough.
Ore melts when it gets hot enough. Let the melt cool and it sets as metal. There is no furnace menu or progress bar, so check the ore's melting point and the temperature of your fire before you start.
You will need
- Ore
- A heat source that can melt it
- A basin to catch the molten metal
Smelting ore
- Build a basin. Stone conducts heat at 85 of 255, but turns to lava at 185 °C. It can handle low-temperature smelting; watch it near a coal fire. Iron conducts at 255 but melts at 200 °C, so a fuel fire is too hot for an iron basin. For iron ore and hotter work, use Ceramic. Ceramic does not melt, but it insulates, so put the fire inside the basin with the ore.
- Put the ore in the basin and heat it. Heat a conducting basin from outside. Keep the fire close to the ore if you are using ceramic.
- Let the molten metal collect. It flows like any other liquid. Close off tunnels and gaps before you light the fire.
- Wait for it to cool, then mine the solid metal. The melt can keep flowing after the fire goes out because it sets below its melting point.
Ore temperatures
| Ore | Melts at | Becomes | Sets below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tin | 120 °C | Tin Melt | 105 °C |
| Gold | 160 °C | Gold Melt | 120 °C |
| Copper | 165 °C | Molten Copper | 140 °C |
| Iron | 190 °C | Molten Iron | 160 °C |
| Titanium | 201 °C | Ti Melt | 175 °C |
| Tungsten | 211 °C | W Melt | 195 °C |
Heat sources
| Burn | Temperature | Hot enough for |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Ember | 130 °C | tin |
| Fumarole | 150 °C | tin |
| Ember (coal) | 185 °C | tin, gold, copper |
| Fire (leaves, cotton, rope) | 205 °C | tin through titanium |
| Fuel Fire | 202 °C | tin through titanium |
| Coke Ember | 215 °C | all listed ores |
| Lava, Brimfire | 215 °C | all listed ores |
Coal embers stop at 185 °C, five degrees below the melting point of iron ore. Waiting longer will not make them hotter. Burning leaves, cotton, or rope gives you a 205 °C fire that can smelt iron and titanium, though it burns out quickly. A fuel fire reaches 202 °C. Titanium ore melts at 201 °C, so keep that fire close. Both fires can melt titanium metal too, so do not use titanium for the basin. Tungsten needs 211 °C. To burn coke for a 215 °C ember, see Making coke.
Making steel
Steel comes from iron and coal. Pour coal onto molten iron while the iron is still liquid. Where the burning coal (Ember) touches the melt, it turns into molten steel. The ember is used up, at about one cell of coal per cell of steel. Molten steel sets below 170 °C, and solid Steel melts again at 210 °C.
Keep the iron hot while you add coal. Solid iron will not take up carbon, and a crust of solid iron or slag between the coal and the melt prevents contact.
If the ore stays solid, compare its melting point with your fire's temperature. If the basin stays cool, check its walls: Refract conducts heat at only 4 of 255. It is useful as furnace lining, but it blocks heat that you are trying to pass through a wall.