23a:Melt item

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v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31 · v0.28 · v0.23.130.23a This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

You can melt items at a smelter, using the furnace operator labor, to recover some of the metal they were made of. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-60%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

Example: If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.

If a similar item of a different metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.

If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a different smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.

If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

Due to a bug, decorated items will not be melted.

Designating items to melt

You can designate metal items for melting from the Stocks page once the Bookkeeper arrives.

To designate the item, simply type m to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for chasming, it will be automatically unmarked.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

Melting the items

Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job at a Smelter. Melting down an object requires the Furnace operator labor (and consumes a unit of fuel for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the furnace operator skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

Yield

For every unit of material size an item has, 1/10th of a bar of that item's metal type will be recovered. These fractional bars are "stored" at the specific smelter where the item was melted; when a full bar's worth of one type of metal has been melted, one bar will be produced. Therefore, you should do all your melting at one smelter, at least for each different type of metal melted.

Melting objects nets you fewer bars of metal than were required to make them, although for some objects this loss is much greater than for others. Some metal items are otherwise refuse, so melting is a distinct option. An entire suit of chain armor, including shield, consumes 7 bars to make - melted (and with high boots) it yields only 2.1.

Melting armor & weapons

Fortresses will often accumulate armor and/or weapons that they don't need, either from invaders, from said invaders interacting with caravans, or from unsuccessful, low-skilled early efforts at forging your own.

Rather than let these gather dust or trade them away, some players choose to recycle them.

Armor Item melted	Percent Return	Absolute Return (in bars)
cap	10%	.1
helm	20%	.2
chain armor	30%	.6*
plate armor	30%	.9*
gauntlet	20%	.2
leggings	50%	.5
greaves	30%	.6*
high boot	20%	.2
low boot	10%	.1
shield	40%	.4
buckler	20%	.2

(* Note that these items take more than 1 bar to make initially.)

Weapon melted	Return (in bars)
large dagger, whip	.1
blowgun, scourge	.2
bow, crossbow, mace, scimitar, short sword, spear, war hammer	.3
battle axe, flail, longsword, pick, pike	.4
great axe, halberd, two-handed sword	.5
stack of # arrows, bolts	# /100, rounded up*

(* Round up to nearest 1/10th. A stack of 1-10 bolts or arrows produces .1 bars, 11-20 produces .2, 21-30 = .3, and 31+ = .4. A weaponsmith can produce a stack of 25 metal bolts, which produces 0.3 bars.)

Due to the low return, many players opt to install weapons into weapon traps instead, especially if the weapon is of any quality.