It's magic and not a science, and that's fine with me.
I stand by something I have said elsewhere. Given:
1) Magic demonstrably, provably works
and
2) Humans are a character race
You quickly reach one of two conclusions. Either a) "Humans" in the game are not the same species as you and me, or b) If you can't imagine "THAU 131 - Thaumatology 131, Fundamentals of magic use" in a university course catalog, then your magic system is a poor fit for your game system.
As for whether it "feels magical"... I have watched a master blacksmith at work. I was deeply impressed. That man knew things I will never know and never learn. I have no idea what his formal knowledge of physics and metallurgy was, if any. But I am quite certain that there were techniques he used that were based on principles of physics and metallurgy, whether he was consciously aware of those principles or not. Maybe it was just along the lines of "If it's _____ color, it's ready to beat out. If it's _____ color, it's too hot, beating it out will cause _____ problem," etc. The point is that you at least have to know
how it works, even if you don't know
why it works. And in a game system where some will use magic but not all, you have to walk a fine line between "sucking the magicalness out of it" for the fighter types, and leaving the magicians in the lurch with the non-explanation of "it just works, you don't know how or why, it's magic."
That blacksmith was able to turn mild steel bar stock into fairy lace. That's pretty magical, from where I stand.