@Idoru ... I can't .. I'm told that it "doesn't make sense" reporting my own posts
Maybe as a replacement....
Learning MetallurgyTo smelt ores you will need to have the teachings of the "Working with Stock" book in "Mind".
The book is available from those you'd expect to work with stock.
Before you can make steel, you will need to raise your smelting capabilities to what I'll call "novice" level.
To raise your metallurgy level to the "novice" level, you will first need to make iron stock.
Making Iron Stock & Raising Metallurgy To Level "Novice"To create an iron stock, you need to smelt iron ores (in the furnace) into molten iron.
Then place a specific number of molten iron (which is what the iron ores get turned into in the furnace!!) into the stock cast. This will produce one iron stock. You can then smelt the iron stock back in to molten iron and repeat the process to gain experience.
Making Steel StockTo make steel you will need iron and coal, roughly 1 part coal to 4 parts iron ore. (hint: you need more than 5 parts in total to make stock with iron or steel.. do the math!!)
Place your iron and coal in the furnace [in 2 seperate slots].
[Close the window, right click on the furnace, then hit the "Combine" button.]
This will create molten steel which you can put in the stock cast to make steel-stock.
Making Blades & Handles from Steel StockTo make blades you will need a smith hammer and a Book of Blades, again, with the teaching of the book in "mind".
The book is available (in a quest) from one of the smithies.
The amounts required to create different items from stock are 1,2,4,6 and 8... you can figure out what each amount makes for yourself!!
Go to the forge and heat the stock until it's "Heated".
With the hammer in one hand and the heated stock in the other, go to the anvil and "use" it.
Unless it's a handle you've made [from 1 or 2 stocks], take your "Alpha blade" to the forge and heat until it is "Red Hot"
Take the blade to the quench tank, where you will make it into a "Brittle Blade".
Take it back to the forge and heat the blade until it is a "Superheated Dull Blade".
Take it back to the quench tank, where you will then make it into a "Dull Blade".
With the "Dull Blade" in hand, go to the sharpening stone and "use" it.
Combining Blade & HandlePlace the sharpened blade and the handle on the smith's table [in the slots - same as with the furnace, etc.]).
[Close window, right-click on table, then hit "Combine".]
Your sword/dagger/etc will now be created.
Gold, Bronze, SilverIn addition to steel, you can also make gold, silver and bronze stock (and ingots!). For gold stock you need a certain amount of gold ores per stock (less than required with steel/iron) and an "advanced" understanding of metallurgy ("intermediate" understanding to make gold ingots). For bronze stock, you use a combination of 7 to 3 parts (or 4 to one part) of Copper and Tin.
Also, at "intermediate" level you can turn Silver ores into stock. At "advanced" you can make gold stock!!! (both require the same amount of molten material!!)
Thanks to the Wandering Djinn for some advice via PMs too (re: update on copper/tin fix and the amount/level for silver, though obviously I'll keep it vague now!).