Mundane Materials

Mundane Metals

Aluminum: A silvery metal, remarkable for its light weight and malleability and resistance to oxidation. It is found abundantly in clay.
Antimony: A silvery white brittle metal used in alloys with other metals to harden them and increase their resistance to chemical action.
Bismuth: A greyish-white, red tinted, brittle metal that is often found in a crystalized state in other metals, particularly cobalt. Chiefly used in making alloys of low melting points.
Brass: A yellowish metal that is an alloy of copper and zinc. Known for its hardness and durability.
Bronze: A moderately hard metal because of the combined metals used. An alloy of 50% copper and 50% tin for increased hardness. Tarnishing is common, with verdigris apparent when oxidation of the metal occurs. Value c. 70% pure copper when used in equal proportions. Bronze had a copper-brown, or sometimes golden-brown hue when more copper is used (c.60%).
Copper: A moderately soft metal that is the least valuable of the group. It is worth around 9% to 12% its weight in silver. Copper tarnishes (corrodes) when exposed to air, but polishing restores its shine.
Electrum: A fairly hard alloy when compared to gold. An alloy of 24 carat gold and .999 fine silver, usually in equal proportions. It has a value of about 55% pure gold when alloyed in equal proportions. It tarnishes somewhat because of the silver content of the alloy. Electrum looks much like pale white gold.
Gold: The softest of precious metals. It does not tarnish. Usually in an alloy with other metals to increase its hardness. There are three general sorts of gold used in jewelry:
Yellow gold (18 carat): 75% gold, 15% silver, 10% copper. Value c. 77% pure gold.
Red gold (18 carat): 75% gold, 20% copper, 5% silver. Value c. 76% pure gold.
White gold (18 carat): 75% gold, 25% silver. Value c. 78% pure gold.
Iron: A white metal that is malleable and ductile. It is the most common and useful of all the metals.
Iron, Cast: A hard, rigid and strong, nonmalleable ironcarbon alloy made by casting.
Iron, Magnetic (Lodestone): A strong magnetic variety of the mineral magnetite.
Iron, Meteoric: Iron usually alloyed with nickel and cobalt. Found in meteorites.
Iron, Wrought: A soft, ductile, malleable iron containing some slag and some carbon. It cannot be tempered or easily fused.
Latten: Brass or a brass-like alloy hammered into thin sheets.
Lead: A heavy, soft malleable bluish-gray metal used in piping an in numerous alloys.
Magnesium: A light silver white metal, that is malleable and ductile used in making several alloys.
Mercury: A heavy silver, white metal liquid at ordinary temperatures, quick silver.
Nickel: A moderately hard metal that is the next to the least valuable of the pure ores of the group. It is worth around 20% its weight in .999 fine silver. Nickel tarnishes only slowly and to little extent, and polishing restores its shine. It has a soft silver-gray luster.
Nickel Silver (Nickel and Copper): A moderately hard metal because of the combined metals used. An alloy of 50% copper and 50% nickel for increased hardness and little tarnishing. Value c. 17% .999 fine silver.
Nickel Steel: A steel alloy made harder than ordinary steel by adding small amounts of nickel.
Pewter (Lead and Zinc): An alloy of tin with lead, brass or copper that takes on a grayish luster when polished.
Platinum: The hardest of precious metals. It is worth c. 125% to 250% its weight in gold, even more if the smelting process employed in the fantasy milieu demands magical heat. It does not tarnish. It is a silvery metal with a soft and lustrous sheen. Platinum is very seldom alloyed with other metals.
Silver: A moderately soft metal worth about 1/60 to 1/100th its weight in gold. Silver tarnishes from exposure to air and other substances.
Steel: A hard metal composed of iron alloy with carbon added. Steel made be alloyed with other metals to make specific properties such as resistance to rust.
Tin: A soft silver white metallic element, malleable at room temperatures. Capable of a high polish and used as an alloy.
Titanium: A dark gray lustrous metal found in rutile and other minerals, used as cleaning agent in molten steel.
Zinc: Bluish white in color it is used as a protective coating for iron and as a constituent for various alloys.

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