Cold wrought iron, what is it?

[cmanos]

do a google search on "Cold Forging" and it will clear things up. Cold forging is done at cooler temperatures than normal 'got' forging, which is performed around 2300F.

Check this page out

From the sounds of it, it doesn't sound like it would produce high quality weapons.

EDIT: More resources

Ohio State Engineering School

My google search on Cold Forging

 

[cmanos]

as an aside....many parts of your car are cold forged....

Just rev up your Nova after casting Align Weapon and ....

 

[WayneLigon]

But I dont understand why it has the resistant to enchantment that it does.

Tradition holds that iron is very anti-magical. One of the ideas is that iron, as a representation of science and mans's control over his world (instead of the other way around), is the opposite of magic: thus, it poisons magical creatures, prevents some magic from working, can break spells, etc. Because of all that, it's harder to enchant. In some stories, you'll find even magic workers are affected by iron.

An interesting bit of reversal in the 'Frostflower and Thorn' books: mages loved iron, and feared being bound by copper. Why? Their main magic was based on time control; they could age iron cuffs and shackles into rust, but couldn't do anything about copper.

 

[Conaill]

On the "whittled from a block idea", it begs the question of how the hell you extract the iron from the ore without heat, though.

That's why I referred to meteoritic and bog iron, two sources of non-oxidized iron, which don't need smelting (not to mention reduction - i.e. getting the oxygen out of the iron "rust").

Iron artifacts were known well before the process of extracting iron from ore through smelting was developed. But the were very rare and expensive, because there is only so much metallic iron to go around.

 

[Steverooo]

To avoid arguements, I will simply state that D&D does not currently use "cold wrought iron", but simply "cold iron", and this is defined on DMG;284, where all who care may go and read...

It is, in 3.5e, a special type of iron, mined deep within the earth. While it is forged at lower temperatures, it is still forged.


Peace!

 

[Krypter]

Tradition holds that iron is very anti-magical. One of the ideas is that iron, as a representation of science and mans's control over his world (instead of the other way around), is the opposite of magic: thus, it poisons magical creatures, prevents some magic from working, can break spells, etc.

OK, but then why do we have so many stories of magical weapons and armour? If they're immiscible, why are they combined so often in fantasy?

 

[Abstraction]

In my game, the PCs were going to be encountering fey, so they were trying to acquire cold iron weapons. One player asked me just what cold iron was, anyway. I explained that cold iron was never exposed to the heat of a forge or smelter. He sat back for a second then said that he had trouble with that because he (the player) was a geoligist and knew that iron had to be smelted out of the ore. I simply turned and said, "what about meteoric iron?" Bam! Got the whammy on somebody trying to use real-world physics.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Meteoric iron has to pass through the atmosphere, usually at exceedingly high speeds, the friction of which creates quite a bit of heat.

The only time this really came up was when I was running a d20 Modern game and the party was being hunted by Pookas. (A very very creepy game. One of my favorite.)

They knew they needed "cold iron" to hurt fey creatures (having researched the local murders and whatnot, and figuring out what they were facing, just about the same time one of the characters started seeing things and going bonkers). I just said: "it's iron instead of steel". So they went to the local WalMart and bought a whole bunch of cast-iron cookware.

Not the best weapons in the world (had a chance to break), but they did the job. Nothing like a bunch of people sneaking through a house ... frying pans at the ready.

In D&D we just choose not to think about it much, and I mentally imagine that Cold Iron is Iron ... and the extra cost is a "because".

--fje

 

[Galethorn]

One point that should be made is that cast iron has less iron in it by volume than steel does...

You see...

(Almost) Pure Iron: very soft, called Wrought Iron

Mostly Iron, a little Carbon: harder and springier; called Steel

Iron mixed with >10% Cabon: very brittle; called Cast Iron

 

[mythusmage]

One point that should be made is that cast iron has less iron in it by volume than steel does...

You see...

(Almost) Pure Iron: very soft, called Wrought Iron

Mostly Iron, a little Carbon: harder and springier; called Steel

Iron mixed with >10% Cabon: very brittle; called Cast Iron

According to my readings in the field cast iron is between 1.5 and 3 percent carbon, with a touch of silicon. A higher carbon content precipicates out, forming carbon nodules in the cast iron that weakens the metal. The same thing happens with very high carbon steel. In a sense, carbon is not really an alloying element, but a dopant. Much like those used in semiconductors. It's a trace element that when added gives another material (iron in this case) radically different qualities.