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40d:Magma-safe
Magma-safe materials consist of pig iron, iron, steel, nickel, nickel silver, platinum, bauxite, (raw) adamantine, and fire imp bones and leather. It can be difficult to control magma flow with floodgates since mechanisms must be made out of rocks, almost none of which are magma-safe (bauxite and raw adamantine being the sole exceptions).
Mechanisms made from raw adamantine are magma-safe, and will properly operate a magma-safe floodgate in a magma channel. In order to construct mechanisms from raw adamantine, you must first allow its use for non-economic purposes in the stock screen (z and select 'stone') and then insure that it is the nearest available stone to your mechanic's workshop, ideally by placing an appropriately restricted stone stockpile. You might wish to remove other stone-using jobs while adamantine is available for use. Using bauxite is much simpler, requiring only that it is the nearest available stone as it has no other economic use.
The mechanism on the trigger need not be magma-safe, only the one on the floodgate. If you do not have any bauxite or adamantine available, you can also work around floodgate based flow control by opting for screw pumps to pump the magma over wall-barriers.
Constructions that resist magma are:
- Constructions (Wall, Floor, Ramp, and Stairs) of any material can never melt or burn - there is nothing wrong with a wooden magma reservoir. Natural ice walls/floors/ramps/stairs may melt however.
- Fortifications will allow the passage of magma, but not the assorted magma creatures. Fire snakes are vermin, so they can spawn anywhere near their native biome - the magma pipe/pool. They are not affected by fortifications, grates, or even solid walls. Also, there is a bug with fluids which may sometimes let magma (and water) push living things through barriers such as fortifications, bars and grates. Pumps are a positive defense, but can change the dynamics of fluid pressure.
- If not submerged (that is, not opened to let magma flow over/past/around them), doors, floodgates and raising bridges of stone or metal are magma safe. So long as they are just in contact with magma, only acting as a passive "wall", they are fine. If opened (via a mechanism, bauxite or other) they will deconstruct and possibly melt. Wood barriers in this category are not magma safe.
Glass
Glass behaves oddly in regards to magma. Glass is, in itself, not magma safe; glass instruments will melt in magma. However, glass furniture will not. So glass statues, screw pumps, and floodgates are all fine when submerged in magma. Forum link with experiments: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=27423.msg333562#msg333562
Glass barriers still require magma-proof mechanisms to operate without deconstructing.
Game calculations
In the game, magma's temperature is exactly 2,032°F, or about 1,111°C.
Metal:
- Nickel and nickel silver — 2651°F (1455°C)
- Pig iron — 2138°F (1170°C)
- Iron — 2800°F (1538°C)
- Steel — 2750°F (1510°C)
- Platinum — 3214°F (1768°C)
- Adamantine — 15032°F (8333°C)
Stone:
- Bauxite — 3632°F (2000°C)
- Raw adamantine — 15032°F (8333°C)
Leather:
Bones: