As a monument inscriber, I'd like to know what you think of the hieroglyphs carved into solid granite in Egypt. They're stunningly crisp and perfect, yet we're told the ancient Egyptians used soft copper chisels to do that work.
We now that wasn't possible, and harder tools, capable of carving granite, have never been found by archaeologists in that area.
Any guesses as to how they did it?
I once read that the Egyptians used copper chisels with hardened tips. Unfortunately they didn’t explain how they hardened them.
Maybe there is a known way to do it?
I’d guess if copper was all they had then that is what they used. Copper will do the job but it will take an immensely longer time than steel. Even with hardened steel they have to be sharpened constantly. The Red granite that is the likely stone to be crisp after millenia is hard as hell. I have to admit that when I see depictions on cable TV of the tools and the way they are thought to have been used in completing types of jobs I do today I’m DAMNED skeptical. The limestone and sandstone yeah, fine, I’ll buy it. But the red granite...I don’t know...