TFC Casting with Channels in All the Mods - Gravitas

TFC Casting with Channels lets you cast from one Crucible into more than one mold at a time. Instead of filling molds one by one, you hook up a line of Mold Tables with Channels. This pack includes version 0.1.6-beta of the mod.^[1][2]

How it works

You connect Mold Tables to the Crucible using Channels, then right-click the Channel next to the Crucible. To place a mold on a Mold Table, or take it off again, shift-right-click the table with the mold.^[2]

Both parts are pottery. You knap an Unfired Casting Channel and an Unfired Mold Table, then fire them like any other pottery to get a Casting Channel and a Mold Table.^[2][3]

Once it's built, you can automate it a bit. A redstone pulse activates Channels. Mold Tables output a comparator signal and interact with a Dispenser holding water or olive oil buckets.^[2]

Who it's for

This is for you if you're casting in bulk and want to spend less time at the Crucible. The in-game guide also covers casting chocolate confections: Hearts, Bells and Knives, each made in its own mold. That part is only available if Firmalife is installed.^[2][4]

Where it fits in the pack

The pack has a quest for this mod, "Change the channel" quest. It asks you to get all four items: the unfired Channel, the unfired Mold Table, and the fired Channel and Mold Table. It unlocks after another quest in the same chapter.^[3]

The big idea of this mod is simple: instead of pouring from your Crucible into one mold at a time, you can fill several molds at once. You do that with Casting Channel and Mold Table pieces. So your first job is to make those, in the order below.^[2][3]

Your first items, in order

1. Knap some Unfired Casting Channel pieces. You will want several, because they are what link your Crucible to the tables. The pack has two knapping patterns for it, shown below, and both are fire clay knapping recipes.^[2][5]
2. Knap one Unfired Mold Table. This is also a fire clay knapping recipe, shown below.^[2][5]
3. Fire everything like any other piece of pottery. That turns your unfired pieces into a working Casting Channel and Mold Table.^[2]

2× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_2

First Unfired Casting Channel pattern, a fire clay knapping recipe.

4× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_4

Second Unfired Casting Channel pattern, also fire clay knapping.

Unfired Mold TableMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_mold_table

The Unfired Mold Table is knapped from fire clay too.

Setting it up

• Connect your Mold Tables to the Crucible using Channels, then right-click the Channel next to the Crucible to start the flow.^[2]
• Shift-right-click a Mold Table while holding a Mold to place the mold on it. Do the same again to take it off.^[2]
• Once you want automation, Channels can be activated with a redstone pulse. Mold Tables give off a comparator signal, and they also interact with a Dispenser holding a water or olive oil bucket.^[2]

Optional: chocolate molds

If Firmalife is installed, you can also melt White, Milk or Dark chocolate and cast it into chocolate confections: hearts, bells and knives. You knap an Unfired Heart Mold from clay, and the recipe is below.^[4][5]

Unfired Heart MoldMod recipe

Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:clay_knapping/unfired_heart_mold

The Unfired Heart Mold is a plain clay knapping recipe.

The finished Heart Mold casts Dark Chocolate Heart, Milk Chocolate Heart and White Chocolate Heart. The bell and knife versions use different molds.^[5]

The core idea of this mod is simple: instead of casting from a Crucible into one mold at a time, you can cast into several molds at once. You link Mold Tables to the Crucible with Channels, and the Crucible can then cast to all of them.^[2]

Setting up a casting line

1. Connect your Mold Tables to the Crucible using Channels.^[2]
2. Shift-right-click a Mold Table while holding a Mold to place the mold on it. Shift-right-click the table again to remove the mold.^[2]
3. Right-click the Channel that sits next to the Crucible.^[2]

Making the parts

Channels and Mold Tables are pottery. You knap them first, which gives you an Unfired Casting Channel or an Unfired Mold Table, and then you fire them like any other piece of pottery. In this pack, both are knapped from fire clay.^[2][5]

The pack has two separate fire clay knapping recipes for the Unfired Casting Channel, plus one for the Unfired Mold Table.^[5]

2× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_2

4× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_4

Unfired Mold TableMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_mold_table

Automation

Once everything is fired and placed, you can hook the line up to redstone. A redstone pulse activates a Channel, and Mold Tables output a comparator signal. Mold Tables also interact with a Dispenser holding a water bucket or an olive oil bucket.^[2]

Casting chocolate

This part only works if Firmalife is installed. You melt White, Milk or Dark chocolate in a Vessel or a Crucible and cast it into a mold. There are three kinds of confection: Hearts, Bells and Knives, and each one comes from a different mold.^[4]

Hearts use the Heart Mold, which you knap from clay as an Unfired Heart Mold. Bells use the Bell Mold and Knives use the Knife Blade Mold, both of which come from TFC. In the pack's casting recipes, each chocolate type has one recipe per mold. Dark chocolate looks like this:^[4][5]

Unfired Heart MoldMod recipe

Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:clay_knapping/unfired_heart_mold

The Unfired Heart Mold is knapped from clay.

Dark Chocolate HeartMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Heart Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_heart

Milk and White chocolate have matching heart recipes.

Dark Chocolate Christmas BellMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Bell Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_bell

Milk and White chocolate have matching bell recipes.

Dark Chocolate Candy KnifeMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Knife Blade Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_knife

Milk and White chocolate have matching knife recipes.

The results are items like the Dark Chocolate Heart, the Milk Chocolate Christmas Bell and the White Chocolate Candy Knife. They give the same nutrition as chocolate bars, but you eat them faster.^[4][5]

Seasonal traits and fillings

If you prepare a confection at the right time of year, it gains a trait that doubles its nutrition. Hearts get the Romantic trait in February, Christmas Bells get the Festive trait in December, and Candy Knives get the Scary trait in October.^[4]

You can also fill confections for extra benefits. Jam adds extra Fruit nutrition, and alcohol gives positive potion effects.^[4]

• Sweet Liquor gives a speed buff.^[4]
• Strong Liquor gives damage resistance.^[4]
• Whiskey gives haste.^[4]

Casting with Channels has a short progression, and it is all pottery. You knap a few pieces out of fire clay, fire them, then connect them to a Crucible. The chocolate side is an optional extra on top.^[2][3][5]

First step: Knap the channel parts

The pack's quest for this mod is "Change the channel" quest. It asks you to get four items: Unfired Casting Channel, Unfired Mold Table, and their fired versions, Casting Channel and Mold Table. It unlocks after another quest in the same chapter.^[3]

Both unfired pieces are made by fire clay knapping. The Unfired Casting Channel has two knapping recipes in the pack, and the Unfired Mold Table has one.^[5]

2× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_2

4× Unfired Casting ChannelMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_channel_4

Unfired Mold TableMod recipe

Fire Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:fire_clay_knapping/unfired_mold_table

Next step: Fire them and build the setup

Once the channels and the mold table are knapped, fire them like any other piece of pottery. That gives you the working Casting Channel and Mold Table, which are the last two items the quest asks for.^[2][3][5]

1. Connect your Mold Tables to the Crucible using Channels.^[2]
2. Shift-right-click a Mold Table while holding a mold to place it. Do the same on an occupied table to remove the mold.^[2]
3. Right-click the Channel next to the Crucible to cast into several molds at once.^[2]

There are some automation options too. A redstone pulse activates Channels, and Mold Tables output a comparator signal. They also work with a Dispenser holding a water or olive oil bucket.^[2]

Optional tier: Chocolate confections

The in-game guide says the chocolate content is only available if Firmalife is installed. You melt White, Milk or Dark chocolate in a Vessel or Crucible and cast it into a mold. There are three confection types, Hearts, Bells and Knives, and each needs a different mold.^[4]

The Heart Mold is the mod's own mold. You knap the Unfired Heart Mold from plain clay, not fire clay, and the casting recipes use the Heart Mold.^[4][5]

Unfired Heart MoldMod recipe

Clay Knapping (tfc)

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:clay_knapping/unfired_heart_mold

The Bell and Knife confections use molds from TFC itself: Bell Mold and Knife Blade Mold. Each mold has a casting recipe for each chocolate type. Here are the three Dark Chocolate ones.^[4][5]

Dark Chocolate HeartMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Heart Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_heart

Casting into the Heart Mold gives the Dark Chocolate Heart.

Dark Chocolate Christmas BellMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Bell Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_bell

Casting into the Bell Mold gives the Dark Chocolate Christmas Bell.

Dark Chocolate Candy KnifeMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Knife Blade Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_knife

Casting into the Knife Blade Mold gives the Dark Chocolate Candy Knife.

The Milk and White versions follow the same pattern with the same molds: Milk Chocolate Heart, Milk Chocolate Christmas Bell, Milk Chocolate Candy Knife, White Chocolate Heart, White Chocolate Christmas Bell and White Chocolate Candy Knife.^[5]

Why bother with confections?

• They give the same nutrition as chocolate bars, but they are faster to eat.^[4]
• Made at the right time of year, they gain a trait that doubles their nutrition. Hearts get Romantic in February, Christmas Bells get Festive in December, and Candy Knives get Scary in October.^[4]
• Filling them with Jam adds extra Fruit nutrition.^[4]
• Filling them with alcohol gives potion effects: Sweet Liquor gives a speed buff, Strong Liquor gives damage resistance, and Whiskey gives haste.^[4]

This mod plugs mostly into TerraFirmaCraft for the molds and casting, and Firmalife for the chocolate. Here is what the pack's recipes and quests show.^[4][5]

TerraFirmaCraft: molds and pottery

The chocolate confections use the standard TFC casting recipe type with TFC's own molds. The Bell Mold gives you the Christmas Bells and the Knife Blade Mold gives you the Candy Knives. White, milk and dark chocolate each have a version of both.^[5]

Dark Chocolate Christmas BellMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Bell Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_bell

Bell Mold in, Dark Chocolate Christmas Bell out.

Dark Chocolate Candy KnifeMod recipe

Casting (tfc)

• Knife Blade Mold

Recipe id: tfcchannelcasting:casting/dark_chocolate_knife

Knife Blade Mold in, Dark Chocolate Candy Knife out.

The milk and white versions follow the same pattern with the same molds. They are Milk Chocolate Christmas Bell, Milk Chocolate Candy Knife, White Chocolate Christmas Bell and White Chocolate Candy Knife.^[5]

The mod's own gear also works like TFC pottery. You knap the Unfired Casting Channel and the Unfired Mold Table, then fire them like any other piece of pottery to get the Casting Channel and Mold Table. Connect them to a Crucible and you can cast into more than one mold at a time.^[2][3]

The pack has a quest that covers this chain. "Change the channel" quest has you obtain the unfired and finished versions of the Casting Channel and the Mold Table.^[3]

Firmalife: chocolate

The chocolate confections only work if Firmalife is installed. You melt white, milk or dark chocolate in a Vessel or Crucible and cast it into a mold. Confections give the same nutrition as chocolate bars, but you eat them faster.^[4]

Timing matters. A Christmas Bell made in December gains the Festive trait, and a Candy Knife made in October gains the Scary trait. These traits double the confection's nutrition.^[4]

The pack also has heating recipes that link this mod's chocolate to Firmalife's. One takes Milk Chocolate together with Milk Chocolate, and another takes White Chocolate together with White Chocolate.^[5]

In this pack, the only quest I can confirm that involves this mod is "Change the channel" quest. It sits in the third chapter of the pack's quest book.^[3]

The quest is a pure item-collection quest with four tasks. You hand in or obtain the Unfired Casting Channel, the Unfired Mold Table, the Casting Channel and the Mold Table.^[3]

The task list goes from the unfired versions to the finished ones. That matches the usual flow of making the unfired piece first and then turning it into the finished item. The sources don't spell out how the unfired pieces become finished, so this section doesn't cover it.^[3]

Order

The quest is locked behind a quest in "More Anvils, but this time they're Bronze", so you need to complete that one first.^[3]

Unverified The chapter's display name and the title of the prerequisite quest aren't readable in the pack files I was given, because they only show untranslated language keys. What the prerequisite asks for, and whether any other quest touches this mod, is unverified.