Comments on: Mining and Refining: Copper, the Metal That Built Technology https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/ Fresh hacks every day Tue, 28 Nov 2023 04:06:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 By: Techi Tour https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413880 Wed, 12 Jan 2022 19:35:10 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413880 I learned about copper has to do with another metal: once copper has gotten into molten steel, it’s nearly impossible to get it out. It can be done in a lab setting, but large-scale production is still a long way off.

Because copper weakens most forms of steel, it must be removed from the steel scrap before it is melted in the recycling process. However, you can use purer kinds of steel to dilute the recycled and melted steel…

There’s a good open-access article on the subject: https://techitour.com/

]]> By: Shannon https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413586 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:40:59 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413586 In reply to Shannon.

Oh, I’ve just come back here and re-read what you quoted. I thought you were talking about the discovery of smelting coming after the use of native metal, but now I see “supply … exceeded demand”. Yeah, I’m sure that’s wrong.

]]> By: smellsofbikes https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413572 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:01:40 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413572 In reply to BT.

That led me to a discussion of Welsh miners in the 1800’s and their lives. I thought it was interesting they only worked for 6 hours a day and when the mine owners tried to force them to work 8 they all quit and went back to farming and fishing. The System can’t grind you down when you have options!

]]> By: Inhibit https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413560 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 15:32:33 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413560 In reply to John.

I believe it implies there was an excess that was used for experimentation rather than to meet need.

]]> By: Max https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413518 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 11:47:07 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413518 If “fundamentally changing a naturally occurring material” is the requirement for something being technology, cooking fits even more than banging out a piece of naturally occurring metal (which is conceptually no different from sharpening a stick). Smoking meat to store, or cooking inedible stuff to get food/glue etc is very transformative, and I presume this predates metalworking. Predates smelting, definitely, no one would have access to fire and not use it for cooking for generations before smelting. :-)

]]> By: Shannon https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413509 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:56:49 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413509 In reply to John.

I’d not heard about people pulling out lumps of native copper before, but assuming that happened I’m pretty satisfied that it happened before smelting was discovered. Humans bashed enough stones together for enough years to notice the qualities of shiny stones that are easy to form into other shapes.

]]> By: Shannon https://hackaday.com/2022/01/10/mining-and-refining-copper-the-metal-that-built-technology/#comment-6413508 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:51:46 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=512549#comment-6413508 In reply to metalman.

I’d say your Inuit technology examples go with the technology addressed in the first paragraph of the article. Spears, atlatls, bows, even the string to make the bow, they’re all technology of a kind but the beginning of the use of copper was a technological step change. There’s definitely a reason we separate stone age from bronze age.

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