Got An Ingot

[Ice Hole]

So the forge is found in many regions now.  The horizontal milling machine is located in a well protected area.

What if the forge was used to create metal ingots.

Metal from cans, lamp fixture, metal pails results in soft steel; pop, sardine cans, metal ladder results in aluminium; toaster, computer and other electrical devices results in copper; can opener, hammer, hatchet, prybar results in tool steel; shell casings, basins, flower pot, flashlight result in brass; bullet slugs, fishing sinkers, automotive wheel balance weights and Battery results in plumbous. 

This is just a short list with some items that exist currently and some that would need to be created.

Another important ingredient would be purified coal or coke.  This is used in the steel making process.  The coal is heated in an oxygen deprived environment.  This fuel results in an ingot that has low impurities.

Flux is another useful item and can be as simple as gum from pine trees.

With ingots head to Bleak Inlet.  There the metal ingots can be manufactured into useful devices.

The forge could be used only to create low level hardware.  The workshop in Bleak Inlet is where premium hardware can be created.  Also blueprints and guidebooks would also be important.

[UpUpAway95]

An actual use for empty cans... I'm in.

[ajb1978]

I am always in favor of more crafting options.  And I think it would be pretty cool if while we can continue to craft improvised knives, hatchets, and arrowheads at the forges, if we also have the option of crafting components which must be refined with the milling machine, and then allow crafting of much higher quality gear.  For example, craft arrowheads at the forge, then use the milling machine to upgrade them into Broad Arrowheads, which can then be used to create Broadhead Arrows that deliver double damage compared to Simple Arrows.

Edit: THAT would give lopers some incentive to risk the Inlet heehee

Edited December 27, 2019 by ajb1978

[Ice Hole]

The inlet should be a location that we all need to visit in a survival run.  For interlopers the Mill is an important piece of equipment.  Personally I am up for the challenge of making useful tools only in BI at the mill.  The forge can construct simple metal shard (similar to story mode version) and simple arrow head. 

The metal shard is not a great tool, it dulls quickly and there is a risk of self injury when using it.  The whet stone is not effective for sharpening because the metal shard's irregular shape quickly deteriorates the stone.  

The arrow heads are of poor construction and not balanced properly.  Every shot using these poor arrowhead has a risk of veering off target.

If the metal shard is used to construct the shaft then the feathers might be improperly attached.  Again this flaw imparts the arrow with poor flight control.

Crude bow can be constructed with the shard one sapling and gut.  Bow with poor damage(no draw weight) and short range.  Wears quickly and can break while in use.  Used best to shoot rabbits.  Try and use it against anything bigger and you will shoot your eye out.

 

The forge only prepares the metal.  The workbench crafts the metal.  The heavy hammer is required for metal work on the forge and work bench.  The forge could have another use.  Metal hardening is another step in the process.  Heat the metal to specific temperature and cool the metal at specific rate. Bellows would be a great addition to the forge.  The sight and sounds of the coal fire breathing can be mesmerizing. Hardening improves the durability of tools.  The knife's edge stays sharper would be a good example. 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by Ice Hole
the text was supposed to be outside the spoiler. cannot edit text and is stuck

[ThePancakeLady]

I could go for some version of this, though I suspect there would be mixed reactions from the Community. Some folks already feel like there is too much micromanagement, and some felt that way before Gunsmithing was a thing. I do like the idea of harvesting recycled cans, and think they should yeild only a fraction of the scrap metal, perhaps a lower quality type than conventional scrap metal.  Used for repairing cooking pots, (patching holes...) or creating very low quality arrowheads that break more quickly, or do less damage. More chance to miss or only graze an animal, yes. But I am wary of making it too complex, and too micro-managed. Grim Dawn has gotten horrendously complex with socketable component crafting, and the grind to get everything you need to craft a higher level component can be a drag at times.. Farming, farming, farming. It loses its appeal after a few hundred hours.  

[Ice Hole]

Have to agree that too many crafting recipes can become complex.  The Long Dark has always been a minimalist type game.  That is what makes it appealing to us.

The Mill will become more than just a way to repair stuff and deserves a discussion about the utility of this beautiful new piece of equipment.