[Ostlandr]

My Granddad passed away last year at age 98. He was at turns a foundry worker, machinist, master patternmaker and coremaker. He claimed that the "old timers" (folks who were 50 or so in the 1920s) told him that there had once been a process to harden copper so as to use it for tools, etc.
One wonders if the ancient Egyptians (who used copper tools to cut the stone used in the Pyramids) knew of this process.
There was probably a scroll or three on this in the Great Library of Alexandira before it was destroyed.

[mcshot]

I once owned a copper bladed knife made by the Dawson Hardened Cooper Cutlery Co. I think they were in business in the 20s.
The knife turned out to be valuable once it left my hands.
:(

mc

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

My Granddad passed away last year at age 98. He was at turns a foundry worker, machinist, master patternmaker and coremaker. He claimed that the "old timers" (folks who were 50 or so in the 1920s) told him that there had once been a process to harden copper so as to use it for tools, etc.

Rome concurred the world with bronze swords. Iron still beat the heck out of bronze when it became generally available. If you need to harden copper, it may be alloyed w/ beryllium, which also makes the material "non-sparking". A very useful characteristic in some circumstances.

Regards,
GtG

[Belasarius]

I got a similiar story from my father. He was a coal miner. He said that he once had a copper coal chisel that had been made by a Cherokee Indian miner. He told me that the process had involved p*ssing on it during the tempering process.