Archaeologica.org

Stan,
I believe you are correct. These forces are so powerful, however, I am not sure an ancient man could have thought, "if I can reproduce that, I can melt rocks". IMO, it started in campfires with simple metals like lead which melts at low temperature. And probably progressed as pottery making progressed. Pottery furnaces enabled early man to produce temperatures necessary to see controllable cause and effect. So much for my opinion.

About veins of pure metal? I suppose they have and do exist but they are very rare. Most metals are very reactive and when liquid easily combine with other chemicals.

http://www.muggyweld.com/melting.html

This link shows the melting point of the most common metals.
It might be helpful for those of us who know very little metallurgy.

Thanks Beag, now its easy to see why electric arc furnaces use carbon electrodes, and some early light bulbs were carbon arc lamps.

I've seen carbon electrodes dip into a bath of pure molten steel (3000*+ F.) and not melt. This has the effect of causing the metallurgist to throw his hat across the room and curse because it does ruin the chemsitry of the steel, however.

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I can see tin and lead showing up in a campfire at those temperatures but some of those others still seem to be impossible.

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Maybe beer makes a fire hotter?

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This one....





In this picture looks to have unmistakable wear marks on the end.

In spite of being the world's worst artist...especially with a mouse.... I have drawn in a potential edge in orange.



Comments?

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Good work, Charlie.

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