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Actual blacksmiths have opinions
Since posting this system, I've heard from plenty of actual blacksmiths, letting me know blacksmithing is hard. This system is a model that balances game mechanics, fun, practicality, and realism in equal parts, but if you want a system that will make them happier, double all blacksmithing times, and triple armor crafting time per check. This means that making 1 check would for weapons or items would be 4 hours, and making 1 check for armor would take 6 hours.
I would recommend only using this variant when downtime is plentiful, or when combined with the "Assistance" variant rules. When combined with the assistance variant rules, the maximum number of helpers remains 3 (each reducing the time to make a check by 1 hour still).