Cobaltite - Cobalt Ore
A metal which resembles iron and nickel physically. The metal is obtained almost wholly from the residues of nickel, copper and iron. It is white in color, with a slight bluish cast, magnetic, hard, malleable and ductile. It dissolves slowly in vitriol.
Cobalt has been widely used for producing blue colors in ceramics and glass, and has been employed as a glaze since at least the 14th century BCE.
Cobalt blue glass is pulverized and used as a pigment, in which circumstance it is called ‘smalt.’ Further uses include the development of blue paint and as an absorbent for poison gases and ammonia.
Svirfneblin have learned to manufacture a variety of steel called ‘stellite’ which includes cobalt. When properly heated and treated carefully with acid and alcohol, cobalt is an important ingredient in the manufacture of magical ink for the manufacture of scrolls. Such ink can be treated so as to appear invisible except to a spellcaster of the appropriate class.
Stellite contains approximately 34% chromium, 43% cobalt, 14% tunsten (or wolfram) and 9% iron.