Training material developed by the Emberforge Brotherhood to ensure repeatable quality across the metalworking guild. Authored by Master Camden, under tutelage of Grandmaster Tressian.
Foreword
Consistency is the key to progress as the Khuldinai say.
The Emberforge Brotherhood’s mission is to ensure consistent quality work across guild members and as such, has commissioned this guide on how to identify, extract, and process ore essential to our craft. We provide the farms with tools, warriors with weapons, and the people of the Empire with the things they need to live a more comfortable life.
Basic Metalwork
Copper
Copper is the simplest for a beginner to work as it is both easier to come by and faster to smelt than most other ores. It is found commonly within the Dragon’s Spine Mountains and regions near the Misran Sea, and less commonly elsewhere in the region. One may be lucky enough to find nuggets or veins in the basalt flows around Timbur Deep, but more often it is enmeshed in various rocks and must be broken free. These deposits are identifiable by their blue or green colorations but do not worry, proper smelting will yield quality copper all the same.
Smelting copper requires a furnace and a lot of charcoal. Raw wood, even when seasoned, does not burn hot enough to properly melt the material. It is worth stating clearly – if one does not have access to a significant amount of charcoal, don’t bother.
This advice carries to everything that follows as well.
A simple clay pit full of charcoal may work, but a basic mud-brick or clay chimney is a better option. In fact, this design will work for smelting many of the metals a member may need to work with, so it is good practice to begin with this design until one can establish a better engineered forge. Such forges require more resources to plan and craft, and are beyond the scope of this document.
Contaminant materials separate from the pure metal and can be skimmed from the surface. As these are removed, the purity increases, yielding metal that serves a variety of uses.
Working copper is simple enough if one has access to the right tools. It can be cold-worked directly for basic shapes, but reheating to restore softness before working is the preferred method. It is an exceptional metal for vessels, fittings, and other simple items. It is much too soft for edged tools or weapons, and is therefore most suitable for domestic applications.
Bronze
Bronze is not a natural material but rather a melding of materials – copper and tin. The material is mixed in a ratio that includes roughly nine parts copper, one part tin, though this can vary depending on the desired outcome. Combining the two creates a material much more durable than either alone, and is an excellent choice for forging weapons, tools, and other items where hardness matters.
Tin is the limitation, not copper, as it is found mainly in the far north and even there, rarely. As such, it is recommended to establish relationships with traders to acquire already smelted tin rather than commissioning an expedition to obtain it oneself. Combining the ores requires the copper must be fully melted before the tin can be combined. This can be done by adding a crucible to the simple furnace we already described, but is much easier with access to a well-designed furnace in an established workshop.
Once the metals are combined, they are poured into ingots which can be then worked into the desired shapes. For a beginner, forging a bronze knife is a simple way to start to understand how the material responds and to develop your own formulations. A material too soft needs more tin, a material too brittle needs less. This is simply a matter of time and practice.
Iron
There is a strong case to skip either ore mentioned above and go straight to working iron. The ore is more common than either copper or tin, found in many rocks and red dirt spread throughout the region. The challenge is in smelting and working – it requires a fire significantly hotter than either copper or tin to reduce properly, and even then what’s left must be worked carefully before it becomes usable. Because of this, it is recommended that apprentices begin with working through each ore one at a time and as their technique improves, the next tier will be easier to master than it would be without such valuable experience.
Smelting iron again requires a well designed forge and a lot of charcoal. The simplest method is to lay a base of fire, then a layer of iron-rich material, then another layer of charcoal on top. Continue to stack alternating layers of iron and charcoal through the top of the furnace. As the material reduces, add new layers of iron and charcoal to continue the process.
Be prepared to have a full day running the forge this way before obtaining anything resembling a useful volume of iron. Even then, the process is not complete, as what results is a spongy mass rather than workable metal. The mass must be repeatedly heated and hammered to squeeze out trapped contaminants. Where copper can be worked while cold, iron absolutely must be heated and hammered, which requires significant investment of charcoal and labor.
Despite these drawbacks, iron tools and weapons that are properly worked hold an edge and endure stress far beyond even bronze. Further, because it is more readily available in its raw form, it can be worth pursuing for those with the resources to smelt it and the patience to work the resulting material.
We should mention that there are classes of material that rise above even iron for durability and sharpness. These materials are exceedingly rare, requiring an experienced smith, a proper forge, and certain alchemical ingredients that must be applied at different stages of the forging process. Such materials are beyond the scope of an apprentice and therefore shall not be discussed further here.
Rare Metals
Lead
Lead is another fantastic material for the apprentice because it is easy to identify and work with. It is found in silver-grey deposits with a bright luster when freshly broken or exposed, standing out in a way that even an untrained eye will notice. It smelts easily and can be worked cold. When purified of contaminants, in fact, one may be able to help shape the material simply by biting it, which cannot be said of most other metals. It is, however, too soft for most crafts and therefore the Brotherhood recommends focusing on other materials.
Silver
Silver is often found combination with lead and can be separated by experienced forge workers as the lead will melt much sooner than the silver. It is mostly used for ornamentation and decoration, and is unsuitable for projects that require durability or sharpness. For an experienced craftsman, silver can be used to make jewelry and other valuable goods, but care must be taken to avoid forgeries if purchasing silver from traders.
Gold
Gold is nearly useless structurally, however it is similar to silver in that it is highly desired as a decorative material. It has been used by master craftsmen as inlays in decorative swords and jewelry, though should never be considered as a primary material in anything destined for combat. It forges similar to copper, and works much the same. In its raw form it can be found sometimes in riverbeds and readily identified by its luster. The gods certainly must find it humorous to find humans so entranced by something that is quite literally washed from the mountains as debris.
Other Materials
Obsidian
This material receives special mention due to its commonality within the mountains close to Timbur Deep and sharpness. It is not a metal, and not quite stone, but something more like glass. It may, in fact, be the sharpest option for making blades among the materials discussed. However, it is very brittle and prone to chipping, and must be knapped into shape rather than forged. The chips themselves are also very sharp and obsidian knapping can be quite dangerous. The old saying holds true:
If you didn’t learn knapping as a child then your father failed you. If you didn’t learn how to knap obsidian as a child, your father loved you.
Thus when considering something such as an arrowhead, obsidian makes a great choice for hunting but poor choice for warriors. Metal arrowheads of iron or bronze are a superior option in most circumstances.