diff --git a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/listeners/InventoryListener.java b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/listeners/InventoryListener.java
index 4dd5cd300..9b782cf32 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/listeners/InventoryListener.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/listeners/InventoryListener.java
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package com.gmail.nossr50.listeners;
 
-import org.bukkit.block.Block;
-import org.bukkit.block.BlockState;
-import org.bukkit.block.Furnace;
+import org.bukkit.block.Block;  
 import org.bukkit.entity.HumanEntity;
 import org.bukkit.entity.Player;
 import org.bukkit.event.EventHandler;
@@ -21,7 +19,6 @@ import org.bukkit.metadata.FixedMetadataValue;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.mcMMO;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.datatypes.skills.SkillType;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.runnables.PlayerUpdateInventoryTask;
-import com.gmail.nossr50.skills.smelting.SmeltingManager;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.util.ItemUtils;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.util.Misc;
 import com.gmail.nossr50.util.Permissions;
@@ -68,15 +65,9 @@ public class InventoryListener implements Listener {
     @EventHandler(priority = EventPriority.HIGHEST, ignoreCancelled = true)
     public void onFurnaceBurnEvent(FurnaceBurnEvent event) {
         Block furnaceBlock = event.getBlock();
-        BlockState furnaceState = furnaceBlock.getState();
+        ItemStack smelting = Misc.getSmeltingFromFurnace(furnaceBlock);
 
-        if (!(furnaceState instanceof Furnace)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        ItemStack smelting = ((Furnace) furnaceState).getInventory().getSmelting();
-
-        if (smelting == null || !ItemUtils.isSmeltable(smelting)) {
+        if (!ItemUtils.isSmeltable(smelting)) {
             return;
         }
 
@@ -92,15 +83,9 @@ public class InventoryListener implements Listener {
     @EventHandler(priority = EventPriority.HIGHEST, ignoreCancelled = true)
     public void onFurnaceSmeltEvent(FurnaceSmeltEvent event) {
         Block furnaceBlock = event.getBlock();
-        BlockState furnaceState = furnaceBlock.getState();
+        ItemStack smelting = Misc.getSmeltingFromFurnace(furnaceBlock);
 
-        if (!(furnaceState instanceof Furnace)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        ItemStack smelting = ((Furnace) furnaceState).getInventory().getSmelting();
-
-        if (smelting == null || !ItemUtils.isSmeltable(smelting)) {
+        if (!ItemUtils.isSmeltable(smelting)) {
             return;
         }
 
@@ -116,29 +101,19 @@ public class InventoryListener implements Listener {
     @EventHandler(priority = EventPriority.HIGHEST, ignoreCancelled = true)
     public void onFurnaceExtractEvent(FurnaceExtractEvent event) {
         Block furnaceBlock = event.getBlock();
-        BlockState furnaceState = furnaceBlock.getState();
+        ItemStack result = Misc.getResultFromFurnace(furnaceBlock);
 
-        if (!(furnaceState instanceof Furnace)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        ItemStack result = ((Furnace) furnaceState).getInventory().getResult();
-
-        if (result == null || !ItemUtils.isSmelted(result)) {
+        if (!ItemUtils.isSmelted(result)) {
             return;
         }
 
         Player player = Misc.getPlayerFromFurnace(furnaceBlock);
 
-        if (Misc.isNPCEntity(player)) {
+        if (Misc.isNPCEntity(player) || !Permissions.vanillaXpBoost(player, SkillType.SMELTING)) {
             return;
         }
 
-        SmeltingManager smeltingManager = UserManager.getPlayer(player).getSmeltingManager();
-
-        if (smeltingManager.canUseVanillaXpBoost()) {
-            event.setExpToDrop(smeltingManager.vanillaXPBoost(event.getExpToDrop()));
-        }
+        event.setExpToDrop(UserManager.getPlayer(player).getSmeltingManager().vanillaXPBoost(event.getExpToDrop()));
     }
 
     @EventHandler(priority = EventPriority.MONITOR, ignoreCancelled = true)
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/skills/smelting/SmeltingManager.java b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/skills/smelting/SmeltingManager.java
index d3b91dad6..7f74ae280 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/skills/smelting/SmeltingManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/skills/smelting/SmeltingManager.java
@@ -28,10 +28,6 @@ public class SmeltingManager extends SkillManager {
         return getSkillLevel() >= Smelting.fluxMiningUnlockLevel && BlockUtils.affectedByFluxMining(blockState) && Permissions.fluxMining(getPlayer()) && !mcMMO.getPlaceStore().isTrue(blockState);
     }
 
-    public boolean canUseVanillaXpBoost() {
-        return getSkillLevel() >= Smelting.Tier.ONE.getLevel() && Permissions.vanillaXpBoost(getPlayer(), skill);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Process the Flux Mining ability.
      *
@@ -122,6 +118,6 @@ public class SmeltingManager extends SkillManager {
             }
         }
 
-        return 0;
+        return 1;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/ItemUtils.java b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/ItemUtils.java
index fdc62e045..217692658 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/ItemUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/ItemUtils.java
@@ -461,6 +461,10 @@ public class ItemUtils {
     }
 
     public static boolean isSmeltable(ItemStack item) {
+        if (item == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
         switch (item.getType()) {
             case COAL_ORE:
             case DIAMOND_ORE:
@@ -479,6 +483,10 @@ public class ItemUtils {
     }
 
     public static boolean isSmelted(ItemStack item) {
+        if (item == null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
         switch (item.getType()) {
             case COAL:
             case DIAMOND:
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/Misc.java b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/Misc.java
index 4a9c03063..6602de8bc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/Misc.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/gmail/nossr50/util/Misc.java
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import org.bukkit.Chunk;
 import org.bukkit.Location;
 import org.bukkit.Material;
 import org.bukkit.block.Block;
+import org.bukkit.block.BlockState;
 import org.bukkit.block.Furnace;
 import org.bukkit.entity.Entity;
 import org.bukkit.entity.HumanEntity;
@@ -230,7 +231,31 @@ public final class Misc {
     public static Player getPlayerFromFurnace(Block furnaceBlock) {
         List<MetadataValue> metadata = furnaceBlock.getMetadata(mcMMO.furnaceMetadataKey);
 
-        return metadata.isEmpty() ? null : mcMMO.p.getServer().getPlayerExact(metadata.get(0).asString());
+        if (metadata.isEmpty()) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return mcMMO.p.getServer().getPlayerExact(metadata.get(0).asString());
+    }
+
+    public static ItemStack getSmeltingFromFurnace(Block furnaceBlock) {
+        BlockState furnaceState = furnaceBlock.getState();
+
+        if (!(furnaceState instanceof Furnace)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return ((Furnace) furnaceState).getInventory().getSmelting();
+    }
+
+    public static ItemStack getResultFromFurnace(Block furnaceBlock) {
+        BlockState furnaceState = furnaceBlock.getState();
+
+        if (!(furnaceState instanceof Furnace)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return ((Furnace) furnaceState).getInventory().getResult();
     }
 
     public static Random getRandom() {