What is a "solid bock"?

[risingfish]

Reading the wiki page about charcoal, it mentions the pit to create charcoal needs to be made of "solid block"s but doesn't state what those are. The images show dirt, but is cobblestone a solid block? I get a LOT of loss (sometimes entire 32 piece firewood stacks) so I'm wondering if I am not using the right blocks. Would love to see better definition of that on the wiki page.

[Streetwind]

I'm not sure if there is a proper definition of a "solid block" written down anywhere, but in my own experience it is something like:

A block that is no less than half a block thick at any point; and which has a face that is level with a neighboring full block surface, which is the "solid face".

In other words, a full block automatically qualifies. But a solid block can also be a stair or a slab, or even a chiseled block of equal or greater thickness, if it is oriented correctly. For example, a slab that is attached to the upper side of a neighboring block will have its "solid face" (the one level with a full block face) on the top, whereas a slab attached to the bottom side of a neighboring block will have its "solid face" on the bottom.

To build a charcoal pit, it needs an unbroken surface of solid faces on the inside. You can use slabs for this, as long as all the solid faces are pointing inwards. You can use chiseled blocks for this, as long as they are as thick as slabs or thicker, oriented correctly, and not perforated.

Doors and such are not solid, and therefore automatically invalid in the construction of a charcoal pit.

(I can't remember right now whether transparent blocks count or not. I think so, but might be mixing things up with Minecraft here. Or I might be mixing up the mixup. Who knows!)

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Streetwind

[BenLi]

I wish we could have iron door to count as solid block for charcoal pit...

[Hells Razer]

5 hours ago, risingfish said:

I get a LOT of loss (sometimes entire 32 piece firewood stacks)

That is business as usual for the charcoal pit. As the wiki says: "The yield for each stack of 32 firewood is between 4 and 7 charcoal, the average yield of each stack is 5.5 charcoal."

It is entirely possible if you put 2 stacks of firewood to get just 8 charcoal, which is one block in height when placed as a pile.

Also if you don't make the pit correctly you will not get reduced yield or something similar, what will happen is that the wood will catch fire and if you don't put the fire out you will get nothing. If you read the handbook entry on charcoal making it warns you about it, and about paying attention to check if you can hear burning sounds as that is the fastest indicator that you did something wrong.

3 hours ago, Streetwind said:

I can't remember right now whether transparent blocks count or not.

They do. I often make my charcoal pits at least partly from glass both because I like the look and because it makes it easy to see when the process is complete. Also because it makes it fast and easy to open with bare hands.

[risingfish]

So , this is a little embarrassing but I forgot I asked this. I really like the glass in the charcoal burner idea. We built our charcoal burner under out smithy, and putting one or two peices of glass in there would be interesting. Thanks for the answers!