
When did metalworking began?
Metalworking was being carried out by the South Asian inhabitants of Mehrgarh between 7000 and 3300 BCE. The end of the beginning of metalworking occurs sometime around 6000 BCE when copper smelting became common in Southwestern Asia. Ancient civilisations knew of seven metals. Here they are arranged in order of their oxidation potential (in volts):
How to learn metalworking?
How To Learn Metal Work. If you're in high school, take a metal shop class. Get a good background in shop tools and machinery. Learn basic math formulas that are used in shop work. Learn to measure, cut, form and weld metal pieces, while learning basic shop safety. These skills will be a good foundation for further study in metal working.
When was metal first discovered by man?
The first discovery of metal probably happens during the period of 4000 BC. And the first metal that was used by man was copper and gold. This is because, these metals occur in nature in a free state to which they are not mixed with other impurities. Man probably found nuggets of copper.
How did humans discover metal?
- Mesopotamia, circa 4500 BCE
- Egypt, circa 3500 BCE
- China, circa 2800 BCE
- Central America, circa 600 CE
- West Africa, circa 900 CE

How was metalworking invented?
Using tools made from bone, people living in what is now Serbia are able to extract large amounts of copper ore from the ground. 2800 BCE – People in China begin smelting copper. 2500 BCE – Brazing – a now commonplace metallurgy practice – begins in Sumer, ancient Greece and Egypt. 1800 BCE – India begins ironworking.
When was the first metallurgy invented?
Early metallurgy begins the history of the first chemists. Most civilizations discovered metallurgy after 4000 B.C. The commonly used metals were: gold, copper, silver, lead, iron, tin, and mercury. The metallurgists gathered, smelted, and mixed these metals to create alloys.
What is the oldest metal working process?
Forging. Forging is one of the oldest metalworking processes used to form and shape metal. The metal is heated in the forge, then hammered and bent into the desired shape.
Who first used metal tools?
During the pre-historic era, man used copper to make tools, implements, and weapons. Archaeological evidence indicates that 5,000-6,000 years ago the Mesopotamians also used copper. They displayed skill in harnessing and extracting the metal.
What period is the beginning of Mining and metallurgy?
3rd millennium BCAlthough archaeological research suggests that mining/metallurgy already started in the Chalcolithic (3rd millennium BC), the earliest atmospheric metal pollution in SW Europe has thus far been dated to ~ 3500–3200 cal.
When did humans first make metal tools?
The Iron Age was a period in human history that started between 1200 B.C. and 600 B.C., depending on the region, and followed the Stone Age and Bronze Age. During the Iron Age, people across much of Europe, Asia and parts of Africa began making tools and weapons from iron and steel.
Did ancient Egypt have metal tools?
Metal tools such as chisels, knives, axe heads, and adzes are common in funerary collections and are often portrayed in Egyptian art. Another major use of metal was in the production of weapons: daggers, swords, spears, and battle axes.
What's the difference between blacksmithing and metalworking?
Metalworking is a general name for any process that someone uses to turn a piece of metal into a product. Both welding and blacksmithing are types of metalworking.
What is not only the most valuable precious metal?
Rhodium is the most valuable metal and exists within the platinum group of metals. It is used in jewelry for a final finish on white gold jewelry. It occurs in the very same ore in which gold and silver exist – only, in smaller quantities.
Did Native American have metal?
A new study of that artifact and other traces of prehistoric mining concludes that what is known as the Old Copper Culture emerged, then mysteriously faded, far earlier than once thought. The dates show that early Native Americans were among the first people in the world to mine metal and fashion it into tools.
What was the earliest metal tool used for?
Gold was the first metal that came into use by the Prehistoric man. It was discovered around 6000 BCE. It was a soft metal and were therefore predominantly used for decoration and bullion for trade.
When was iron first forged?
Blacksmithing origins first trace back to 1500 BC when the Hittites discovered the process of forging and tempering iron ore. When the Hittites were scattered in 1200 BC so was their knowledge and understanding of basic iron work.
When did metalworking start?
In the beginning…. Technically, the history of metalworking starts more than a million years ago, when early humans learned to control fire. After all, without fire, there’s no metalworking.
Where did metalworking originate?
Rather, the story of metalworking is a long, slow one that developed over several centuries: 8700 BCE – People in what is now Iraq work with copper. This metal has been in use for more than 10,000 year, with ancient societies in places like Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India using copper to fashion weapons.
When did the first copper smelter start?
600 BCE – Indigenous people in Central America begin smelting copper. They had actually been working with copper for thousands of years before they developed smelting. 1200 CE – China develops something similar to what we know as the “Bessemer process” for making steel by using a cold blast over molten metal.
Where did copper mining begin?
4000 BCE – Copper mining begins in the Balkan region. Using tools made from bone, people living in what is now Serbia are able to extract large amounts of copper ore from the ground. 2800 BCE – People in China begin smelting copper.
Which country smelt iron to make steel?
The Ancient Romans recognized India as a country of iron experts, far ahead of what was happening in Europe. Meanwhile, the region of Anatolia – modern day Turkey – begins to smelt iron to create steel.
Who invented the iron foundry?
In the 1850s, some Chinese steel experts visited America to demonstrate this method. Bessemer was Sir Henry Bessemer, who would patent his own version of this process in 1855. 1700 CE – The first iron foundries are established in Cumbria, Great Britain.
What was the most important technological innovation in the 19th century?
Then came perhaps the century’s most important technological innovation: the steam engine.
When was cupro used for welding?
This became a usable welding process in the late 1800s and early 1900s that still is used today to weld galvanized sheet metal with cupro-bronze filler material. The arc between the two carbon electrodes places very little heat into the base material, barely affecting the galvanized material.
Who invented coated electrodes?
The coated electrode development is credited to the A.O. Smith Company . This company is no longer prominent in the welding industry, but is well-known in the home appliance industry, especially for its hot water tanks. By the late 1920s, the coated electrode SMAW process was used extensively.
What is SMAW welding?
Much controversy exists about who developed the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) electrode similar to that used today. The case has been argued in many armchair courts of welding experts, and I will leave it alone.
What is Hobart's process called?
Hobart used helium in his process, which was called Heliarc® accordingly. It still was referred to as Heliarc into the 1960s and, in many cases, even today. This process lends itself to welding oxidation-intolerant materials. Argon is more commonly used now than helium.
What is the slang for MIG welding?
The change from inert gas to CO2 gas prompted the American Welding Society to change the slang nomenclature MIG to "gas metal arc welding. ". The "I" in MIG was no longer properly definitive, since CO2 is a reactive, not inert, gas. The GMAW process actually came into its own in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
What is metalwork?
Metalwork, useful and decorative objects fashioned of various metals, including copper, iron, silver, bronze, lead, gold, and brass. The earliest man-made objects were of stone, wood, bone, and earth. It was only later that humans learned to extract metals from the earth and to hammer them into objects. Metalwork includes vessels, utensils, ...
When did metal casting begin?
After about 2500 bce, the two standard methods of fabricating metal—hammering and casting—were developed side by side. The lost-wax, or cire perdue (casting with a wax mold), process was being employed in Egypt by about 2500 bce, the Egyptians probably having learned the technique from Sumerian craftsmen ( see sculpture ).
What is the art of encrusting gold wire?
The system of ornamentation known as damascening is Oriental in origin and was much practiced by the early goldsmiths of Damascus; hence the name. It is the art of encrusting gold wire (sometimes silver or copper) on the surface of iron, steel, or bronze.
What is the process of engraving?
It detaches material in cutting. When pressure is applied with a hammer, the process is called carving.
What is embossing on metal?
Embossing (or repoussé) is the art of raising ornament in relief from the reverse side. The design is first drawn on the surface of the metal and the motifs outlined with a tracer, which transfers the essential parts of the drawing to the back of the plate.
How long did heavy metal take to create?
Unlike the creation of, well, creation, which (allegedly) only took six days, Heavy Metal took a slightly longer bath in the primordial stew before making it's grand entrance onto the world stage. For the sake of brevity, we begin our journey in the 1960's. The early half of the decade witnessed an unparalled explosion of popular music.
Where is the new wave of heavy metal from?
Still centered primarily in England , this collection of bands earned the moniker the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal,” a play on the name bestowed to the “new wave” sensation in the pop charts.
What year did Hellbent for Leather come out?
1978 - Hellbent for Leather. There’s many who tried to prove that they’re faster…. (Judas Priest - Hellbent for Leather) With the musical foundation laid by Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, it was only a matter of time before someone synthesized heavy metal into a complete and proper ethos.
What is the rock band archetype?
Each of these groups contributed to the creation the "rock band" archetype: loud, unpredictable, rebellious, and even dangerous. By the latter half of the 1960's, the next generation of "rock stars" began to sow first seeds of protypical Heavy Metal. Drawing inspiration from their blues and rock and roll forebearers, "hard rock" acts, ...
What is Deep Purple's contribution to heavy metal?
Ultimately, Deep Purple helped establish and define heavy metal as a genre while simultaneously challenging its limits and conventions.
What day did God finish his work?
And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. And while God rested, the devil created Heavy Metal...
Who is the most extreme heavy metal band?
Thrash was the most extreme incarnation of heavy metal to date. Musically more rhythmic than melodic, its primary concern was complex riffs played at breakneck speed, pioneered by Metallica’s James Hetfield, Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, and Slayer’s tandem of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman.
Who were the first people to make steel?
The Haya people are believed to be the earliest inhabitants in Tanzania to practice metalworking and, incredibly, the first people to invent carbon steel. The Haya elders made furnaces out of mud and grass which, when burnt, created carbon to transform iron into steel; the process worked much the same as an open hearth furnace. Steel of this quality was not created in Europe until centuries later.
Who was the first person to study metal heat treatment?
Although unaware of the relevance of his discovery in metal treatment, it was Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, writer, inventor and religious philosopher whose law would have a significant impact on the heat treatment of metal. He proposed that pressure applied to a confined fluid at any point is transmitted undiminished through the fluid in all directions and acts upon every part of the confining vessel at right angles to its interior surface and equally upon equal areas.
Where did copper come from?
4000 BC - Early copper mining. The first European copper miners are believed to have come from the Balkan region. Digging with bone tools, they excavated huge quantities of copper ore from the Rudna Glava (Ore Head) in what is now present day Serbia.
Who invented the Bessemer process?
Between 1850 and 1855, English inventor Sir Henry Bessemer took final credit for the creation of the Bessemer process with a patent. He stated that he had been trying to reduce the cost of steel for military weapons and ammunition when he had made the discovery. This was the first inexpensive mass-production of molten pig iron to steel prior to open hearth methods. The key was to blow air over molten iron to remove all impurities by oxidation. It made the production of steel fast and efficient and gave Bessemer a name in history.
How to increase the power to a level sufficient to melt ceramic materials?
This is generally done by adding a secondary gas to the plasma gas stream - usually hydrogen.
When were miners first discovered?
The first miners: from 4000 BC. By 4000 BC deep shafts are cut into the hillside at Rudna Glava, in the Balkans, to excavate copper ore. This robbing of the earth's treasures is carried out with due solemnity.
When was copper first used?
The age of copper: from 7000 BC. From about 7000 BC a few neolithic communities begin hammering copper into crude knives and sickles, which work as well as their stone equivalents and last far longer. Some of the earliest implements of this kind have been found in eastern Anatolia.
What is the age of bronze?
Crucibles found at the site reveal that smelting is carried out as part of the mining process. The age of bronze: from 2800 BC. Sometimes the ores of copper and tin are found together, and the casting of metal from such natural alloys may have provided the accident for the next step forward in metallurgy.
What is the new material in the Middle East?
The new material is steel. It can be worked (or 'wrought') just like softer iron, and it will keep a finer edge, capable of being honed to sharpness. Gradually, from the 11th century onwards, steel replaces bronze weapons in the Middle East, birthplace of the Iron Age.
What happens when you heat up a metal?
If it is reheated in a furnace with charcoal (containing carbon), some of the carbon is transferred to the iron. This process hardens the metal; and the effect is considerably greater if the hot metal is rapidly reduced in temperature, usually achieved by quenching it in water. The new material is steel.
What is the name of the period between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age?
It is called the Chalcolithic Period, from the Greek chalcos'copper' and lithos'stone'.
Where did the bronze sphere come from?
It appears in the Indus valleyin about 2500 BC, and progresses westwards through Europe from about 2000. At much the same time it is found in crude form in China, where it later achieves an unprecedented level of sophistication. From about 1500 BC the Shangdynasty produces bronze objects of exceptional brilliance.
How many metals were discovered in the 18th century?
There are currently 86 known metals but before the 19th century only 24 had been discovered and, of these 24 metals, 12 were discovered in the 18th century. The Metals of Antiquity, were the metals upon which civilisation was based.
What is the role of metals in civilization?
Prehistoric man used metals to build tools and weapons and as our knowledge of metallurgy has developed, metals have played an essential role in the advancement of agriculture, transport and arts and craft – forging the path to today’s modern society.
When was the Iron Age?
(6) Iron,smelted, (ca) 1500BC - The discovery of smelting around 3000 BC led to the start of the Iron Age around 1200 BC and the prominent use of iron for tools and weapons.

The Davys' Discoveries
World War I Push
- World War I actually was the big push for the need for welding. The cost and efficiency of welding far outweighed those of the riveting process. Riveting required removing some material, and it was a two-person operation. Rosie the Riveter became Rosie the Welder. Ships were being built in the U.S. and Europe using arc welding. This activity called for definition and standardization of w…
Electrode Developments
- Much controversy exists about who developed the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) electrodesimilar to that used today. The case has been argued in many armchair courts of welding experts, and I will leave it alone. Several developments in electrode technology occurred in the 1920s and 1930s. The coated electrode development is credited to the A.O. Smith Compa…
Developments in Shielding
- While playing around with this theory of shielding, H.M. Hobart and P.K. Devers (I learned this at the Hobart Institute) came upon an idea to shield the electrode with an inert gas such as helium or argon. This was the forerunner of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)process, although it was not patented by Hobart and Devers, but by Russell Meredith. It was later licensed to the Linde Ai…
Cutting
- In the late 1950s or early 1960s I was involved with cutting some 1/8-in. nickel-alloyed material. I can't remember exactly which alloy, because trade names like MONEL®, INCONEL® weren't used in those days. Our customer was a coal-testing laboratory that specified this material that reportedly would resist the corrosion produced by the acid in the coal-testing process. We attem…
Gmaw's Advent
- Airco (Air Reduction Company) was the granddaddy of the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process, also known as MIG. Actually, it was developed at Battelle with Airco's funding. The initial use of inert gases for welding on carbon manganese material was thought to be too expensive, so developers began looking for a less expensive gas. The winner was the plentiful CO2gas, which, …
FCAW
- Shielding gas concerns and GMAW restrictions contributed to the use of the flux-cored arc welding (FCAW)process. The Lincoln Electric Company began producing a wire that did not require a shielding gas. It is called Innershield® and can be used in the same atmosphere as SMAW. Another flux-cored wire that does require a gas shield is ESAB's Dual Shield, a high-depo…
Saw
- The submerged arc welding (SAW)process actually was developed by a pipe mill in Pennsylvania for welding longitudinal seams in pipe. (These welds now are mostly produced by resistance welding.) But like the GTAW process, it was licensed by the Linde Air Products Company and named Union Melt. This process is still the dominant process for resurfacing (building up) mine …
The Future of Metalworking
- In the future, welding will continue to change dramatically. Fully automatic processes are being used in large fabrication shops. Positioners are being designed that turn in almost any configuration, allowing T joints, flanges, and pipe butt joints to be made without removing the weldment from the fixture. Fixturing now enables nearly all welds to be made in the flat position …