In the recent update to Railcraft, Covert added the firestone; capabale of storing 5,000 buckets of lava at once. Once charged, it can be used in any kind of generator -except a Steve's carts coal engine- and it will be powered as if by lava. Boilers and locomotives will receive a 40x heating boost from it so you can easily heat up a boiler with only a few buckets of lava. Right clicking will also auto-smelt whatever block was clicked.
For those of you who wish to try out this marvelous device, a quick and easy guide.
1. Obtaining firestone ore:
Firestone ore only spawns in the Nether, at the bottom of lava lakes. Not ideal conditions for mining. Luckily, there are quite a few options.
Obviously, you're going to need fire protection. Blaze morphs, hazmat suits, or simply making fire resistance potions will suffice. Of course, it's still going to be difficult to see at the bottom of a lava lake. OpenBlocks sponges provide an excellent solution clearing out a nice area of lava to see in. Pack enough slimeballs/wool to craft at least a stack and just bring the supplies with you. You may very well get lucky after all.
There is an additional trick if you want to save your sponges. By standing halfway into a block of lava, you don't get the fog effect as you normally would.
While you're here, pick up 4 buckets/cells of lava. You'll need it later.
2. Refining the ore:
A word of warning during this next part. Keep the ore in a knapsack, backpack, enderpouch, or any container that can be moved. The ore will set fire to the surrounding area when held in your inventory. Wooden houses beware.
You're going to need a rock crusher if you haven't made one already so whip one up and throw the ore into it.
You will then get raw firestone (still unsafe) which can be cut by placing it in a crafting table next to 4 diamond pickaxes. Unfortunately, they will get used up.
The new cut firestone (still unsafe) can be crafted into a useful piece by serrounding it with 4 buckets of lava and 4 blocks of redstone. You know have a useful, and safe, firestone at your disposal.
3. WE NEED MORE POWAH
Charging the firestone is rather simple. Just throw it into a lake of lava.
The firestone will absorb the nearby lava, effectively turning it into obsidian. The obsidian layer will go as far down and out as it needs to go until it is fully charged. You can break the stone at any time to pick it up, but you might as well just wait.
Once the particle effects have stopped, break the firestone to pick it up.
4. Profit
For those of you who wish to try out this marvelous device, a quick and easy guide.
1. Obtaining firestone ore:
Firestone ore only spawns in the Nether, at the bottom of lava lakes. Not ideal conditions for mining. Luckily, there are quite a few options.
Obviously, you're going to need fire protection. Blaze morphs, hazmat suits, or simply making fire resistance potions will suffice. Of course, it's still going to be difficult to see at the bottom of a lava lake. OpenBlocks sponges provide an excellent solution clearing out a nice area of lava to see in. Pack enough slimeballs/wool to craft at least a stack and just bring the supplies with you. You may very well get lucky after all.
There is an additional trick if you want to save your sponges. By standing halfway into a block of lava, you don't get the fog effect as you normally would.
While you're here, pick up 4 buckets/cells of lava. You'll need it later.
2. Refining the ore:
A word of warning during this next part. Keep the ore in a knapsack, backpack, enderpouch, or any container that can be moved. The ore will set fire to the surrounding area when held in your inventory. Wooden houses beware.
You're going to need a rock crusher if you haven't made one already so whip one up and throw the ore into it.
You will then get raw firestone (still unsafe) which can be cut by placing it in a crafting table next to 4 diamond pickaxes. Unfortunately, they will get used up.
The new cut firestone (still unsafe) can be crafted into a useful piece by serrounding it with 4 buckets of lava and 4 blocks of redstone. You know have a useful, and safe, firestone at your disposal.
3. WE NEED MORE POWAH
Charging the firestone is rather simple. Just throw it into a lake of lava.
The firestone will absorb the nearby lava, effectively turning it into obsidian. The obsidian layer will go as far down and out as it needs to go until it is fully charged. You can break the stone at any time to pick it up, but you might as well just wait.
Once the particle effects have stopped, break the firestone to pick it up.
4. Profit
