Gathering / Crafting process

[Illuvia]

I found a couple links when searching for how to craft on the wiki
A guide to crafting metal items
Crafting Primer

They seem to conflict each other. The first details the number of threads we need to make things. The second suggests that you don't have to explicitly write out most mundane crafting projects let alone dedicate entire threads to it.

I wanted to also get some clarification as to what skills I'd need in order to make weaponry from scratch. Aside from mining and smithing, is there a skill required to find ore and turn it into something usable?

[Pig Boy]

I'll answer the last part of your question first.

Mining is what is needed to pull raw materials such as metals and stone and anything else from the ground. Basically digging skill. Smithing is needed to both refine the metal ore and other materials, and then make the weapons. That's all you really need if you're intending to source the metal and everything yourself.

However, you always have metals available to your tier. At tier 4 for instance, you can pretty much assume the availability of Steel for whatever you want to craft.

As for the first part of your question:

They don't necessarily contradict each other. Each one just answers different questions.

From Crafting Metal Items:

To harvest metal ore IRP (in roleplay), you must write either one or two threads in order to collect enough ore to craft with.

That means if you want to handle the process IC, this is how you'd do it for metals outside your tier, or more than a single set of items.

From Crafting Primer:

Q: When and where do I have to thread out the crafting of an item?
A: You can drop a mention of having crafted an item if you have the available materials (within wealth tier or purchased/acquired), and have enough skill to craft the item at the desired level of quality.

Note this is for singular items. Perhaps a set in the case of certain items. Perhaps a shield in the case of armor, or a single dagger rather than a set.

So basically it's answering different situations. The Metal Crafting Primer refers to IC crafting and gathering, while the Crafting Primer answers specific questions about say giving a gift that you made yourself.

[Illuvia]

Oh wow, sounds like I wouldn't even need to bother with mining then since steel is probably 99% of what I'll ever need!

Thanks