Sandustry copper guide

Prepare the route before extracting Copper

Copper deposits appear deeper underground and may sit near Lava, hard terrain, or long vertical shafts. Clear a standing area and a return path before breaking the deposit. Loose ore is much easier to collect when it cannot fall into an unexplored cavern or mix with Cinder.

Carry enough tool energy for the trip back, but avoid depending on the Laser until the first power storage is operating. Slower tools take longer at the deposit and place less pressure on an unfinished energy system.

• Light the deposit and the return shaft.
• Block openings that lead into Lava or Water.
• Prepare a Copper-only storage bin at the factory.
• Bring one small batch back before clearing the whole deposit.

Build the Smelter and heat zone first

Place the Smelter above a sealed liquid basin and reserve room for Copper Molds at the lowest useful output level. The Smelter needs heat from an adjacent Thermal Buffer or a controlled Lava source. Build that thermal connection before feeding ore.

Keep Water, Snow, and Ice outside the room. A cold leak can interrupt the heat setup, while an open floor tile can send liquid Copper below the intended mold area. Inspect every wall join with the chamber empty.

• Put the ore input where you can stop it quickly.
• Leave visible space below the Smelter for liquid flow.
• Separate the Lava basin from the Copper basin.
• Keep a solid recovery pocket below the room.

Smelt a test batch and follow the liquid

Feed a small amount of Copper onto the heated Smelter and watch the entire conversion. Confirm the ore reaches the active area, changes into liquid Copper, and flows toward the Mold rather than pooling against a wall.

Do not increase the input while solid ore remains on the machine. Check heat contact and output clearance first. A larger ore pile can hide the original failure and makes the cleanup harder if the basin is incomplete.

Fill Copper Molds and create Power Bricks

Position Copper Molds where liquid Copper can enter without crossing an unrelated fluid route. Let one Mold fill and confirm that it becomes a Power Brick before extending the row. A wide mold bank consumes more Copper and floor space, so match the first build to the power source you can maintain.

The Power Brick stores energy but does not create it. Connect the storage to Steam Turbines or another supported generator with the game's energy structures, then watch the stored value rise before attaching a high-consumption tool.

• Confirm liquid Copper reaches the first Mold.
• Connect generation before testing a large load.
• Leave access to the conductors and the bottom of the mold bank.

Diagnose an empty or leaking power room

If the Mold stays empty, trace the chain backward: liquid path, Smelter output, heat connection, then solid Copper input. If the Power Brick forms but stores nothing, inspect the generator and conductors rather than adding more Copper.

For a leak, stop ore and heat, contain the remaining liquid path, and clear unrelated material around the basin. Restart with one test batch after the wall repair.