With the discovery of Iron the Bronze age was over. It heralded a period of great human advance as this new, extremely tough metal could be forged into a variety of tools, weapons, armour and be used to strengthen buildings. Ploughs and hoes could now break new ground for crops. Shields were reinforced. Armour could turn weapons or now penetrate it. Jewellery, such as brooches, could be made stronger and long lasting.
Iron ore is the main source of the world’s iron but some of it reaches via meteorites. Some iron mines are the remnants of these meteorite hits. Iron as a material was fine for the time but as the world modernised it’s one great weakness, the spectre of Rust, meant that we could not use it exclusively.
Steel is created by smelting iron and then adding oxygen at a huge rate. When the heat removes the carbon for the iron we are left with the super hard but extremely malleable, Steel. Steel allows us to create large shapes for construction and for industry. Everything is made with steel from Cars to Ocean Linders. Much of it is recycled. One other aspect of iron and Steel is that with Metal bonding adhesives they can be securely connected.