Steel

From Wikimalia

> l furnace

This is an enormous open hearth furnace. It is rectangular in shape, made of red bricks, is approximately 20 feet by 33 feet in size, and 8 feet tall with a brick roof. The chambers inside are made of brick laid out in a honeycomb pattern. It is designed to channel exhaust air from the furnace into the honeycombed chambers so that the heat can be transferred into the bricks. The air flow can then be reversed to superheat the main chamber of the furnace.

The furnace opens at the top where metals and raw ore can be placed inside. This is done via a platform built one story above ground level. When the metal has reached the desired purity, the furnace can be tapped- allowing the molten metal to flow along a trough into a large ladle set below the furnace at ground level. From the ladle the metal is poured into molds that cast it into useable ingots.

The exhaust vents are directed at the main chamber of the furnace.
The furnace has not been fired.
The roof is closed.
The trough door is closed.
The furnace is currently empty.
The ladle is currently empty.
The molds are currently empty.

> i

============================

       Items Carried: 5

============================

iron ore (76)
dry lime (7)
Smith Tongs
[AR] Smithing Gloves
[AR] Smith Apron

============================

> furnace open roof door
You climb onto the second story platform and open the hearth door in its roof.

> charge furnace with iron ore
You charge the furnace with 76 uu of iron ore.

> charge furnace with dry lime
You charge the furnace with 7 uu of dry lime.
> furnace close roof door
You close the hearth door and climb down from the platform.
> furnace fire
You fire the furnace and it begins to warm up.
> furnace vents honeycombed chamber
You redirect the furnace vents so they will channel heated exhaust air into the brick, honeycombed chamber.
(wait a little while)
> furnace temperature
The temperature gauge on the furnace reads: 1,127
> l furnace
(description)
The exhaust vents are directed at the honeycombed chamber.
The furnace has been fired.
The roof is closed.
The trough door is closed.
The furnace contains:
iron ore (76)
dry lime (7)
The ladle is currently empty.
The molds are currently empty.
(wait a while longer)
> furnace temperature
The temperature gauge on the furnace reads: 1,411
(wait a little while longer)
> furnace temperature
The temperature gauge on the furnace reads: 1,598
(Temperature has now exceeded the ideal min temp of 1,540)
> furnace vents main chamber
You redirect the furnace vents so they will channel heated exhaust air into the main chamber.
(wait a while)
> l furnace
(description)
The exhaust vents are directed at the main chamber of the furnace.
The furnace has been fired.
The roof is closed.
The trough door is closed.
The furnace contains:
iron ore (76) (melting)
dry lime (7)
The ladle is currently empty.
The molds are currently empty.
> furnace temperature
The temperature gauge on the furnace reads: 1,377
(Temperature has dropped below the ideal min temp of 1,540. Need more heat!)
> furnace vents honeycombed chamber
You redirect the furnace vents so they will channel heated exhaust air into the brick, honeycombed chamber.
(wait a short bit)
> furnace temperature
The temperature gauge on the furnace reads: 1,623
> furnace vents main chamber
You redirect the furnace vents so they will channel heated exhaust air into the main chamber.
(this process may go on a few times where the operator needs to maintain the appropriate temperature for the melting process.
(Eventually...)
> l furnace
(description)
The exhaust vents are directed at the main chamber of the furnace.
The furnace has been fired.
The roof is closed.
The trough door is closed.
The furnace contains:
molten iron ore (76)
The ladle is currently empty.
The molds are currently empty.
> furnace sample
You have a sample of molten metal extracted from the furnace. You examine it with great care:
Approximate Carbon Content: 4.7%
Other Impurities: 6.9%

The ability to determine the above information from the sample will be based upon the skill of the smith.
At this point, more dry lime can be added to help coax impurities out which will end up in the slag. As for the carbon content, the metal smith can continue to lower this (depending on the final purpose for this metal) by allowing the molten ore to stay in this heated state for a bit longer.

Weapons/Armor Grade: .4 - 1.5% carbon
Basic Metalworking (cast iron quality): 2-4% carbon
Decorative Use (wrought iron quality); < .4% carbon

The less carbon, the harder the final steel will be, but the more brittle and inflexible as well (harder to work).

Every time you take a sample, 1 uu of the ore is removed. Assume the smith is good, and he is able to work it down to this:
> furnace sample
You have a sample of molten metal extracted from the furnace. You examine it with great care:
Approximate Carbon Content: 1.2%
Other Impurities: .6%
> furnace unfire
You turn off the furnace and it slowly begins to cool.
> furnace open trough door
You open the trough door in the side of the hearth.
> furnace tap
You tap the furnace and allow the molten metal to pour into the ladle.
> l furnace
(description)
The exhaust vents are directed at the main chamber.
The furnace has not been fired.
The roof is closed.
The trough door is closed.
The furnace is currently empty.
The ladle contains:
molten iron ore (71)
The molds are currently empty.

(in the future, we may want to allow technological advancements that let the smith perform the equivalent of injecting various gases into the molten metal at this stage. In real life, argon or nitrogen are sometimes injected at this stage to improve the way the alloys mix.)

> furnace pour into molds
The molten iron ore is poured from the ladle into the molds.
35 steel ingots have been created.

(this next part is total BS, but this is an example of how things work differently in games!)

> get ingots from molds
You must have some type of tongs wielded in order to do that.

> wield tongs
You wield Smith Tongs.

> i
========================================
Items Carried: 3
========================================
[W1] Smith Tongs
[AR] Smithing Gloves
[AR] Smith Apron
========================================

> get ingots from molds
You get 35 steel ingots.

> look ingots

(description of steel ingots)

Carbon Content: 1.2%

      Quality: 96.0% 

(DONE!)