Two points

1) Since most impurities have lower melting points than copper hammering while still above the impurity melt points will drive some of them out, yielding purer copper...

2) Some impurities are a GOOD thing, arsenic & antimony for example make for tougher copper that holds an edge better. Early smiths wouldn't have known any of this, of course, but they WOULD realize ores from certain location make better ax heads, etc.

Pure copper is softer, more malleable, and doesn't hold an edge as well. Depending upon what effect the smith wanted, he MAY have ended up mixing impurities into the purer copper to attain desirable characteristics...

By the age of bronze the smith art had advanced to the point where they understood the effects and % mixes of alloys, with an associated leap in their social standing. (Of course most of them played it to the hilt, that metal work was earth-magic and they were the sorcerer...)

Jammer



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2012 12:01PM by Jammer.