Clinker Vat

Size	21x21
Where	Compound

Source

This building becomes available after you have learned the Masonry tech.

Cost

• 60 Cut Stone
• 10 Copper Sheeting
• 2500 Firebricks

You will be asked to select the fuel source when you build: Petroleum, Charcoal, or Coal.

Built in a Compound. Uses 21x21 cells.

Firing

Requires one of the following to fire, based on type selected when built:

• 40 Petroleum
• 800 Charcoal
• 800 Coal

Fuel is only needed when making Cement.

Plaster

Making a batch of 500 Plaster costs:

• 400 Sand
• 50 Cement
• 50 Gypsum

• NOTE: Mixing Plaster 'does not' require fuel or stirring -- just mix the ingredients and take it. All water in vat will be used, so if you put more than 100 water, it will all be used. Jugs are not consumed.

Concrete

Making a batch of 250 Concrete costs:

• 250 Gravel
• 15 Cement
• 100 Water in Jugs

NOTE: Mixing Concrete does not require fuel or stirring -- just mix the ingredients and take it. All water in vat will be used, so if you put more than 100 water, it will all be used. Jugs are not consumed. And vat does not need to have clinker in it to make up concrete.

Cement

Making a batch of 100 Cement costs:

• 10 Bauxite
• 10 Gypsum
• 800 Clinker
• 500 Water in Jugs
• Appropriate fuel for the vat, depending on the vat's type.

NOTE: You can run as many cement batches off this 500 water as you like; it will not be used provided that you do not mix concrete. Jugs are not consumed.

Stirring

It takes a variable number of stirs to make a batch of cement, depending on the food you have eaten and the number of people stirring. Each stir makes an amount of progress that depends on your Strength*. With 20 strength, this is on the order of 1-2% per stir.

* I'm not positive that's true; it appears to instead depend on the amount of time between stirs. With 25 Str and 24 End,
  doing a solo stir, if the stirs are evenly spaced to let the timers clear completely between stirs, only around 1/3%
  progress registers per stir. By bursting 3 stirs at a time, progress is 3-4% per burst (>1% per stir). If you're
  stirring with a small amount of people and good food, try to all burst-stir at the same time as long as you can safely
  get away with it. --Numaris

Once started, the cement must be stirred continuously by a team of people, or it will solidify and all ingredients wasted.

• Stirring the vat sets a 45 second base timer on STR and END (at STR 0 / END 0)
• Stirring starts out easy with 2 minutes between stirs, but the stirs have to come closer and closer together as it gets closer to completion.
• Progress is made with each stir based on the strength of the stirrer.
• Towards the end (depending on the food) people may need to let the timer tick down the appropriate amount before stirring so a round is not over before the first person can stir again).
• At the end of a stir, the timer is precisely 12 seconds.
• The percentage completion of the stir is reported in Main each time you stir.

One strategy for stirring is:

• Everyone pins the clinker vat menu and refreshes it regularly.
• Initially, everyone stirs as fast as possible.
• When the batch reaches 70% complete, only stir if:
  • there is less than 10s left on the timer; or
  • your str/end stats are black

With 20 people and good (+18str/+22end) food, a batch can be completed in under 30 seconds, with everyone stirring 3-4 times each and str/end recharging while the vat is reloaded for the next batch.

It is reportedly possible to complete a batch with 2 people and +9str/+9end food.

Breaking Up

If you fail to stir in the time it asks you to, all menus are lost except one, "Break the hardened mass with a sledgehammer". To restore the Vat to a useable state, you will need a sledgehammer. This will cost you a 5 minute endurance timer.

Once restored, you will retain the fuel entered into the Vat, but you will lose any Bauxite, Gypsum, Clinker and Water placed into it.