+1 here, I understand that the "refining" mechanic as it existed was not originally intended, but it is sorely missed. In the late game, metal is now the only thing limiting the quality of what we produce, besides jewelry (where it makes sense for rarity to play a major role anyway).
Without an ability to refine metals (which absolutely existed in the medieval era, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_an ... val_Europe), we're left with metal being the only commonly consumed material that we can't consistently get to 100 Q through hard work and determination. We can improve tree quality above what we find in the world. We can improve animals. We can even improve the dirt! Why can't we improve metals?