On making small copper-alloy items

I intended this to be a small course, however sadly nobody showed up. So I'll use the prep and pictures to briefly explain the basic concepts of cold-working copper-alloy in order to do proper instructions in a later post at some point - whenever people feel like showing up to a course (Me? Bitter? Nooo... never!).

By "copper alloy" I specifically mean copper, bronze- and brass-like alloys. I refer to them so unspecifically because some of the alloys used e.g. in the bronze age are now technically referred to as brass. For different applications they used different alloys - depending on the required hardness, melting point temperature, viscocity, etc.

I personally prefer modern bronze for sewing needles because it gets quite hard, however I prefer modern-day brass for thicker items such as closures, because it's easier to still work despite it's thickness. My tools are not all historically accurate, but I'm working on that set of equipment (look at my new horn hammer! I'll post on that soon too! Lots of teasing today...).

So what do I make with this equipment? All sorts of things:

• Slavic temple rings, where the west-slavs had a very characteristic shape (e.g. shown here and here)
• Medieval sewing needles (with their characteristic punched round eyes)
• Pins (Viking and Medieval)
• Viking needle cases
• small closures
• Hygiene set (toothpick, tweezers and earwax spoon connected to one loop)
• Birka-wirewrapped beads
• I have also made a few drill bits, awls and other tools for softer materials from copper alloy. Iron would be better, but that's what I had lying around in a capacity that I could use it quickly and easily when I needed it

The basic principles are quite straighforward.

1. If you want it bent, use tongs to bend (once polished, use leather so the jaws won't marr the surface)
2. If you want it shaped, hit it with a hammer (or, once polished, mallet)
3. If you want it hard, hit it with a hammer some more
4. If you want it soft, heat it over a candle and then quench it
5. If you want material away, use a file to file it away
6. If you want it polished, use increasingly fine grit sand paper to polish. Or, historically, horsetail.

Formalities:

• Materials: copper alloy wires of different thickness and foil, different grit sand paper
• Tools: tongs, files, wire cutters, hammer and anvil (=metal block), to punch needle holes: very fine chisel and led/tin underlay, candle, glass of water
• Time:
•    1 temple ring ~5 mins
•    1 pin ~ 10 mins
•    1 sewing needle ~15 mins
•    1 little closure ~18 mins