If bronze was cheaper...?
- Thread starter LXEagle
- Start date
Medieval steel is stronger and iron mail is easier to make than bronze. There might definitely be a lot more bronze use as well though, for supplementary armour (limb protection, scale suits) and for decoration.
Bronze is also great for things which are somewhat bulky and require to be cast in a certain shape. Historically that was mace heads but in this universe it could be other things too (shield umbons?)
Bronze is also great for things which are somewhat bulky and require to be cast in a certain shape. Historically that was mace heads but in this universe it could be other things too (shield umbons?)
From what I understand bronze is better for casting while steel is better for tools, weapons, and armor. If bronze is cheaper you're going to see a lot more bells and cannons.
No. Mettalurgy is one of the technics that continued to grow and being perfected in MA and bronze armors couldn't really hold efficiently, especially against the guided missiles that were medieval knights.
For casting, the issue is that you need the technique, not a cheaper or more expensive bronze. It's why cannons were made of Iron until the XVI.
And better cannons for that matter. At least up until the 19th century. Since more bronze means more copper, the main benefits form this unrealistic scenario will be down the road, when electricity comes on the scene.
Bronze is a lot heavier, denser than steel (which makes it a much better cannon barrel than iron, but not better than steel) but copper has always been more expensive than iron ore and with rare exceptionally pure deposits, requires steadily more sophisticated mining, crushing, separation through smelting and refining and then alloying with that not so common tin, zinc, or arsenic. Good steel also requires a lot of expertise and rarer alloys than just iron ore (hematite or magnetite, there's a lot of low quality iron ore out there too) that were unknown as alloys in medieval times, so you've got low carbon, silica-softened, low temperature smelting and then low temp heat treating...it's very difficult to make good steel then and then in small batches by master craftsmen who took their recipes to the grave.
I'd expect bronze actually was cheaper than decent steel then and only more expensive than iron work often called steel. Copper's a precious metal and in use for coinage as well as jewelry (bad sign for a metal you want to use a lot of and for mundane purposes.)
Cheap bronze would mean many more cannons, more geared wheels for mechanisms in saw mills, water mills, grain mills, etc. (bronze is far less affected by moisture than the quick to rust steel and iron of the time.)
I'd expect bronze actually was cheaper than decent steel then and only more expensive than iron work often called steel. Copper's a precious metal and in use for coinage as well as jewelry (bad sign for a metal you want to use a lot of and for mundane purposes.)
Cheap bronze would mean many more cannons, more geared wheels for mechanisms in saw mills, water mills, grain mills, etc. (bronze is far less affected by moisture than the quick to rust steel and iron of the time.)