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<blockquote data-quote="embee" data-source="post: 8223628" data-attributes="member: 7026827">If you want to use this analogy, fine. Iron and steel are two different substances and are useful in different ways. Iron needs to be smelted to melt it into a workable form and to remove impurities. Steel needs to be smelted and then refined to reach the proper balance. Iron weapons are work-hardened (cold hammered on an anvil); steel weapons are quench-hardened (rapid cooling through quenching). Two different methods used to make two different things, both for killing. Iron is cheaper because it is a base metal. But it is prone to being bent or nicked. An iron sword is pretty weak. But a spear with an iron tip is the basic building block of a phalanx. Steel is an alloy. It is harder and (generally) less brittle, meaning it will be make a more durable sword. But it is more expensive and harder to find because it needs refining to get the proper balance. So if you are outfitting an infantry, you may give them spears with iron tips as you need a lot of spears and an infantryman's lifespan is pretty short. Similarly, your archers' arrows are probably going to have iron arrowheads because you're flinging a lot of them into the air and you just need to puncture, not slice. But if you're a knight or a cavalier, you may go with steel. It's more expensive but you need a metal that won't be bent and will keep an edge. And, as a trained soldier, you are worth the expenditure Both are metal. Both are used for weapons. But both have their uses.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="embee, post: 8223628, member: 7026827"] If you want to use this analogy, fine. Iron and steel are two different substances and are useful in different ways. Iron needs to be smelted to melt it into a workable form and to remove impurities. Steel needs to be smelted and then refined to reach the proper balance. Iron weapons are work-hardened (cold hammered on an anvil); steel weapons are quench-hardened (rapid cooling through quenching). Two different methods used to make two different things, both for killing. Iron is cheaper because it is a base metal. But it is prone to being bent or nicked. An iron sword is pretty weak. But a spear with an iron tip is the basic building block of a phalanx. Steel is an alloy. It is harder and (generally) less brittle, meaning it will be make a more durable sword. But it is more expensive and harder to find because it needs refining to get the proper balance. So if you are outfitting an infantry, you may give them spears with iron tips as you need a lot of spears and an infantryman's lifespan is pretty short. Similarly, your archers' arrows are probably going to have iron arrowheads because you're flinging a lot of them into the air and you just need to puncture, not slice. But if you're a knight or a cavalier, you may go with steel. It's more expensive but you need a metal that won't be bent and will keep an edge. And, as a trained soldier, you are worth the expenditure Both are metal. Both are used for weapons. But both have their uses. [/QUOTE]

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