I'm not sure if I'm dense, but we don't use steel to make steel (whether crucibles or "feed material").
The first person to make steel made it without steel didn't they?
Did I miss something?
Edit0: fun tidbit - Wootz steel was made with crucibles of clay with rice husks mixed in (husks would carbonize quickly and introduce air layers to better isolate) and many seemingly random objects (fruits, vegetation) were added to the crucible to control carbon content.
I higly recommend A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry's series on steel (it's a blog, just search "ACOUP steel".
The first person to make steel made it without steel didn't they?
Did I miss something?
Edit0: fun tidbit - Wootz steel was made with crucibles of clay with rice husks mixed in (husks would carbonize quickly and introduce air layers to better isolate) and many seemingly random objects (fruits, vegetation) were added to the crucible to control carbon content.
I higly recommend A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry's series on steel (it's a blog, just search "ACOUP steel".