Iron bloom

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Iron bloom

Iron|Iron blooms are produced after an iron ore (Hematite, Magnetite, and Limonite) is melted in a Bloomery|bloomery. Iron blooms will still to be shaped and have oxide layers (by smithing on a bronze or better Anvil|anvil) removed before they become workable iron ingots. Meteoric iron|Meteoric iron still needs to be melted in the bloomery, but at the moment comes out as a workable ingot immediately.

Finding iron ores

There are 3 ores for non-meteoric iron: Hematite, Magnetite, and Limonite. These ores spawn in different rock types, and iron ores can spawn in all rock types except sandstone and bauxite. As with most ores, one of the best ways to find iron ore is to use a Prospecting pick|prospecting pick in density search mode to find a high concentration, and then excavate a vertical staircase down (due to how ores generate, it is better to dig vertical tunnel as opposed to horizontal tunnels). A Bronze|bronze or better pick is required to mine iron ores.

Crafting a bloomery

To craft a bloomery, a total of 12 fired fire bricks. This is separated into two parts, the base and the chimney. For more information, go to here.

Smithing

In order to turn an iron bloom into an iron ingot, it must be heated on a Forge|forge. After it is heated, it can be worked on a bronze or better anvil. Iron blooms do have some variability with size and shape, but are for the most part similar. Working an iron bloom consists of removing the oxide (colored darker), and moving voxels into position. Removing oxide often removes several voxels at a time. Often, there will be voxels left over that will need to be removed before the ingot is complete. See Smithing|smithing for more information.