Bronze Proposal Continued

Equation for Arsenic Trioxide:

Arsenic(s) + Heat + Air(g) => Arsenic Trioxide(g)

For our purposes tin will be our primary additive, although there are many options. Tin is more sensible than arsenic for several reasons. Bronze containing tin will also be more durable than bronze with arsenic. Arsenic also varies in amount in each copper ore, this means the durability of the bronze would vary too and be unreliable. On a scale of relative hardness, bronze with tin can greatly raise the hardness in comparison to pure copper. The ratio of hardness between tin and copper bronze versus pure copper is 90:50 when cast.

IV. How to obtain ore for copper.

In order to create bronze we must obtain its main component, copper. Copper ore is easily found. If we are desperately needing copper an early technique used in the Bronze Age was to find a cave containing a mineral called, Chalcopyrite. Fig 2 shows an example of a cave that has Chalcopyrite. Simply by digging out chunks of Chalcopyrite or Malachite and finding the best one. Once we find the best ore we then smash it and wash it out to obtain the ore. This is an ineffective way to obtain the ore, but fairly simple. As we progress different processes should be used to increase effectiveness. Later on, we could progress to making shafts or digging deeper for the ore and a larger quantity.