In about 1556, a book that purported to tell ALL about metals was written by Georgius Agricola. It is "De Re Metalica" , something like "of the metals". I think it is one of the most important and entertaining early books covering the history of metals; prospecting, mining, purifying, and working. It was translated into english in 1912, I think. It was reprinted in paper back in the 1980's, I think and that's when I bought my copy. Now and then lately I have been looking for used copies and they do appear on abebooks.com from time to time and are available now at Amazon.com. Prices, IIRC, run from maybe $25 or $40 up to almost $100. During my search tonight, I found this online link:
There's a pretty good section on iron, from mining to smelting to wrought iron and to working it. I'd say that section should be mandatory reading for all blacksmiths.
Pete Stanaitis
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