Grinding Casting

Somehow casting favor for Spain, England, and Dutch. I'm not saying other nation can't learn casting, but you will have a hard time grinding this skill as another nation beside those 3.

Skills you need:

• Casting
• Mineral Trade
• Wares Trade
• Firearms Trade (Spain favored)

 Books you need:

• Shipwright Basic - Casting Book (Antwerp, Groningen, Plymouth, Porto, Barcelona, Genoa, Pisa, Syracuse - Craft shop)
• Metal Smelting Book (Lubeck - item shop)
• Firearms Techniques (Ceuta, Barcelona - item shop)
• Alloy Smelting Book (Dublin, invest 300.000)
• Weapon Manufacturing Techniques (Barcelona, Groningen, invest 500.000)

We will skip R1, I recommend get a shipwright hammer for casting+1.
 
Rank 2 (Bergen or Beirut)
- Lumber > Spare Rudder (Shipwright Basic - Casting Book)

Rank 3 - 4 (Plymouth)
- Bronze > Bell of Withdrawal (Shipwright Basic - Casting Book)


Rank 5 - 6(Hamburg)
- Lead Ore > Lead (Metal Smelting Book)
- Iron Ore > Iron (Metal Smelting Book)
- Copper Ore > Copper (Metal Smelting Book)
- Iron + Coal > Cannon Shot (Firearms Techniques)

At rank 6, Spain start make use their Firearms skill and move to Barcelona, while other nation stay in Hamburg.
Spain has another advantage by selling musket to Algiers, this will give fame and profit.

Rank 6 - 7(Barcelona - Algiers)
- Gunpowder + Cannon Shot + Steel > Steel Cannonball (Shipwright Basic - Casting Book)
- Iron Ore > Iron (Metal Smelting Book)
- Copper Ore > Copper (Metal Smelting Book)
- Iron + Steel > Single Handed Sword (Weapon Manufacturing Techniques)

Rank 7 - 10 (Hamburg)
- Coal + Iron > Arquebuses (Firearms Technique)
- Copper Ore + Tin Ore > Bronze (Alloy Smelting Book)

Rank 8 (Barcelona - Algiers)
- Iron + Steel > Shamshirs (Weapon Manufacturing Techniques)

Rank 9 - 10 (Barcelona - Algiers)
- Iron + Steel > Two Handed Sword (Weapon Manufacturing Techniques)

Rank 11 (Hamburg)
- Coal + Iron > Cannon (Firearms Techniques)

Rank 11 (Barcelona - Algiers)
- Brass + Iron + Steel > European Armour (Weapon Manufacturing Techniques)

At rank 12, or 11+1, or 10+2, you may start producing Master Craftsman Carpentry Tools (MCCT / MCT) by collecting white ore in New Founland landing point, follow the right side until you see big white rock, then you can start collecting there. The problem is, you need to register a nearby colony which has iron and lumber in their market to make it efficient.

At rank 13, 12+1, 11+2, or even 10+3, you can start the devils way by making gold from gold dust. You can buy gold dust from Jamaica and Santiago (invest 120.000) and then invest 1.000.000 in Havana and you can use the recipe from craftsman.
You will need Handicrafts R5 and Metal Trade skills to do this, fortunately you can leech this from friend.
Keep in mind, if u have 100 gold dust, it will grow into 110 gold (might more if u have college skills on).
This is the fastest way to grind your Casting Skill.