User:Infinity Dragon/Water mining

Water Mining
Water mining is a method devised to mine obsidian safely. The practical upshot of water mining is that the method both prevents catching fire from unconverted lava spring blocks and converts those same blocks as they are uncovered as a side effect of the process.

Method
To successfully water mine first you need to find a lava lake. If the lake is a "surface lake" (that is to say it is naturally occurring in a cave or at ground level) Step 1 is to surround the lake with blocks such that a water lake can be formed on top of it. If this is not the case then once a lava source is discovered, mine around it in such a way as to always leave a 1 block high wall around it at all times. while doing this ALWAYS MINE FROM A DISTANCE. Never move closer to a wall unless you are sure continued mining on that wall won't immediately uncover more flows at chest height. If the lake is large enough it may be impossible to mine out all of the blocks directly over head. This is OK. Any lava that may be behind this rock will be unable to reach you as the maximum flow distance is insufficient to reach (and over flow) the lava barrier. It is however important that you find the topmost lava spring block (and build your lava barrier to at least one block below this level) as it is above this block that you will douse the lava with water in step 2.

If the lava in question is surface lava, dousing it and forming the water lake above it are rather the same step, and as such you can move to step 4. Otherwise step 2 is to dig a tunnel over the top of the magma chamber (the space the lava occupies). Try to find the center, but it is not particularly important if you don't hit it dead on. Now douse the lava. Re-collect the water spring block when you are sure that no more lava has been converted. If the lake is large, this may require multiple applications.

Step 3 is to mine out any cobblestone created as a byproduct of obsidian production, and to back fill the empty spaces with water. the water should act as an infinite source if done correctly. This is important as you will "quiet" flowing water with these blocks as you mine out your first layer of obsidian.

Step 4) When you have mined out your first layer of obsidian (assuming that you are here from step 3) you should have a fairly good idea of how this process is safer and more productive. You should also have a lake of water spring blocks 1 block deep. (if there are any flowing spots, convert them now.) Now, from now on as you mine down, any lava will instantaneously be converted to obsidian as it is uncovered.

Step 5) After the second layer, you will need to "bail" the lake. Do this by simply capping the lake with sand and then digging it out again. This is why it was important to make sure that the lake was comprised of infinite springs, as any water generated below those springs would become water spring blocks themselves. This propagation means that you can even mine the lava deposit out in sections by simply leaving a ring of sand around the top of the section you wish to mine and then staying with in this barrier all the way to the bottom. As you mine out new sections make sure at least one wall of new sections are touching a wall (but not breaching it) of an existing section. Once you have done this and are sure there is no more lava that can be converted you can mine out the left over walls with impunity.

Happy mining!