Thanks for the lesson in metallurgy!
At risk of a tangent, why exactly was iron so popular as a material for making weapons? I’m guessing at some of the things a weapon maker might consider:
- how common is it
- how easy is it to shape into something
- how hard is it
- does it hold an edge
- how does it handle impacts it might experience in combat
- how long will it last
- how heavy is it
- how easy is it to repair
Anything I’m missing?
I’d like to have some means of evaluating the materials suggested in Substitutes for Metal thread