Welding/History
< Welding
History edit
Welding has been around in some form or another ever since people realized that metal could be useful. One of the oldest methods of welding was actually forging. A metal ore would be retrieved by mining, smelted in a hot fire, collected into a large quantity of almost pure metal, and hammered into shape by using different fire techniques. Different methods of kindling, stocking and airing a fire could control the heat that it would produce. For example, to forge a sword a fire would need to heat the metal (likely copper or bronze), to a red-orange glow. Eventually, mixed metals (alloys) were used for higher strength and a range of new uses.