Buy 1000 coal, and mine 500 iron... Smith 'em together into bars, and then smith the bars into plate bodies... could I earn a profit?

 

 

 

What about if I bought the 1000 coal AND the 500 iron?

I'd say no. Cannonballs are the only profit making smeltable item.

 

 

 

You could always sell the bars.

Steel bodies alch for 1.2K ea, so you'll probably be able to sell them at 900 ea. You need 10 coal for 1 body, so the answer is definitely : no.

What about the second plan? Buying the iron and coal, smithing, and selling the bars. Could anything be earned from that?

You can make a little selling bars if you mine your own iron.

Hidhaeg, your best bet is to aim for the optimal item you can smith. Afterward, high alch it and keep the high-alch's gp for yourself. Selling is a bad idea 97% of the time with smithing, as I have come to experience much the hard way.

 

 

 

~Mr. Devnull

Smelting and selling the bars is definately the best way. Even if you buy the coal and iron you will make a profit.

Buy 1000 coal, and mine 500 iron... Smith 'em together into bars, and then smith the bars into plate bodies... could I earn a profit?

 

No

 

 

 

But you could break even if you bought 5 iron ore, bought 2 coal, and mined 8 coal.

 

Cost is 5*100+2*200+300 = 1200 per plate

 

Income from Hi-alching is 1200 per plate

 

 

 

So, your cost stays flat but you get mining, max smithing, and magic exp.

 

 

 

Or, you could but 5 iron ore and 10 coal for

 

5*100 + 10*200 = 2500,

 

smelt them into 5 steel bars and then sell them for 600 each

 

to make a profit of 100 gp per bar.

 

 

 

But you get only a small amount of smithing exp that way.

 

 

 

What about if I bought the 1000 coal AND the 500 iron?

 

Then you lose even more money.

 

 

 

You need to decide what you really want to do.

 

Do you want max smithing exp, max profit, some of both, cash break even, quick exp, etc?

 

Once you decide what you really want,

 

then you can decide on the best course of action.

 

 

 

Finally, keep in mine that even if you got 99 smithing

 

then you can only make the "4th best" armor in the game.

 

So, smithing is not the cash cow that it once was.

 

 

 

You can make very good money smithing...

 

but only after spending huge amounts of time and/or money.

 

 

 

If you just want money, then you could try mining instead.

 

 

 

Hope this helps