# Where did blacksmiths of yore get new iron?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-blacksmiths-of-yore-get-new-iron/422007>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 8, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-blacksmiths-of-yore-get-new-iron/422007 "2007-10-08T23:11:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-blacksmiths-of-yore-get-new-iron/422007/21 "2007-10-09T22:56:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink]  
So, whoever smelted, dealt it? 😃  
[/QUOTE]

OK that cracked me up. Bravo!

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-blacksmiths-of-yore-get-new-iron/422007/22 "2007-10-10T04:46:55Z")

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[Here](http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/advanced/t5_1_4.html), in translation, is a site by somebody in Kiel about the history of steel. He starts, naturally, with ironmaking with meteoric iron at the beginning and on to bloom iron. He doesn’t cover bog iron and doesn’t cover getting the iron (or steel) from the furnace to the forge, but if you have an interest in the subject, you can follow the links for hours.

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**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-blacksmiths-of-yore-get-new-iron/422007/23 "2007-10-10T14:25:48Z")

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[QUOTE=ralph124c]  
Did the ancient Romans make steel? They used a lotof iron (in architecture) nad must have had quite an iron industry-but were Roman swords iron or steel?  
[/QUOTE]

I have read that they had iron cores with steel edges. Crucible steel is rather expensive so up until Bessamer, cutting tools usually had steel bits and wrought iron bodies. I have also read that the pilum, the Roman javelin, had its point made out of wrought iron. This was so that it would bend on impact and prevent the enemy from hurling them back. This same source said that the point was connected to the shaft by two pins, one of which would break on impact, rendering the weapon useless. After the battle, the spears could be gathered and easily repaired.

FWIW,  
Rob

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