| For you students out there doing a report on the | | | | bronze and easily stops the strongest of blows |
| history of welding, let me first say this...I have | | | | from other bronze swords . |
| always found the earliest history of welding to be | | | | You are making ready for battle when you get a |
| kind of boring. But I remember back to high | | | | report from a scout that the neighboring Trojans |
| school when my ears perked up in history class | | | | have developed a magic metal sword that will cut |
| at the first mention of longbows. So I will try to | | | | your sword in half and that will penetrate your |
| make this interesting by talking about swords and | | | | shield. |
| airplanes. | | | | You shrug it off as war propaganda but that little |
| This is actually more like the history of metallurgy. | | | | tidbit of information lingers in the back of your |
| I will save the history of welding for Part 2 | | | | mind. |
| Let's get the boring stuff out of the way first. | | | | It's time to go to war now. Your adrenaline is |
| None of these dates are hard facts and I am | | | | pumping, war cries are heard, horns are blown |
| probably going to omit some important terms like | | | | and you rush the enemy. You expect certain |
| "Paleolithic" but that's how we roll up in here. So | | | | victory but when you start tripping over your |
| Here goes. | | | | own soldiers and notice they are holding shiny |
| From the very beginning of mankind, up until | | | | bronze swords that have been cut in half, you |
| about 8000 BC, was known as the Stone age. | | | | remember the story about the magic metal. Oh |
| Up until about 8000 BC, stone was used to make | | | | snap! |
| cutting tools and spear heads and things like that. | | | | It's a bad day for the guys with the bronze |
| Even though copper was discovered during the | | | | swords when they go into battle against iron |
| stone age, it was too soft to use for tools and | | | | swords. |
| weapons. | | | | I hope things are becoming a little less boring... |
| Around 3500 BC, someone discovered that adding | | | | Now Fast forward to 2009. A fighter pilot flying |
| tin to copper produced a much harder metal than | | | | an F 22 raptor is about to engage in a dogfight. |
| pure copper and that began what is known as the | | | | He knows there are limits to how much throttle |
| Bronze Age. | | | | he can give to out maneuver his enemy. Too |
| Bronze swords and knifes were used until around | | | | much throttle under the wrong conditions will |
| 1500 BC when the process of refining iron ore | | | | overtemp the turbine blades and make them soft |
| into useable iron was discovered. Then began the | | | | and unstable and maybe even blow up the motor. |
| iron age. | | | | And what if his enemy is flying a fighter jet that |
| So this timeline gives a basic view of what makes | | | | uses a new alloy that would allow for an increase |
| up the stone age, bronze age, and iron age. | | | | of several hundred degrees before they reached |
| Boring right? Well think about this... not every | | | | overtemp condition? He could put the hammer |
| country , tribe, or race discovered iron at the | | | | down without worrying about overtemping. |
| same time. | | | | Would that give a pilot a distinct advantage? It |
| Let's say you are living in the city of Troy. You | | | | might be just like a bronze sword against an iron |
| are a foot soldier and you have the latest and | | | | sword. |
| greatest bronze sword at your side. You think | | | | The more things change the more they stay the |
| you are high tech. Your shield is also made out of | | | | same. |