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Nickel (Ni): Metallurgy Facts & Folklore
Nickel (Ni), a silvery-white metal with a lustrous sheen, is a transition element essential to industry and commerce, and known in...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 29, 20246 min read
29 views


Cobalt (Co): The Little Goblin Who Could
Cobalt is a silvery grey metal used across various fields, including science, medicine, and industry. It receives its name from the...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 28, 20246 min read
19 views


Glass of Antimony: Renaissance Purgatives
Glass of antimony , or vitrum antimonii , gives warm yellow or red hues. As Sb2O3, its use in alchemy is largely medicinal, one of many...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 24, 20244 min read
9 views


S. pasteurii: Calcium Eating Limestone-Making Bacteria
Sporosarcina pasteurii is a gram-positive bacterium with the extraordinary ability to precipitate calcite and solidify sand when exposed...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
7 views


Calcium (Ca): Earth Metal of Structure & Strength
Calcium (Ca) is a vital element in life and health on Earth. A silvery white metal, calcium is a strong builder, from bone structure to...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
21 views


Liver of Sulfur: Alchemy, Metal & Medicine
Liver of Sulfur is a unique compound of alchemy, metallurgy and medicine. Also known as hepar sulfuris or sulfurated potash, Liver of...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 15, 20245 min read
12 views


Metal Salts: Ancient History to Modern DIY
Metal salts are compounds created from metals and acids. In history and today they enjoy uses in beauty, natural health, chemical...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 2, 20246 min read
14 views


Carbon Steel: Origins, Composition & Uses
Carbon steel is an essential material in various industries, renowned for versatility and strength. Uncover the secrets of carbon steel:...
Sylvia Rose
Oct 14, 20245 min read
8 views


Tungsten: Elusive Metal of Light, Art & Industry
Tungsten, also known as wolfram, is a rare and versatile metal. In nature, tungsten is found in ore form, combined with other elements....
Sylvia Rose
Oct 12, 20245 min read
41 views


Platinum (Pt): Junk Metal to Pure Treasure
Platinum (Pt) is one of the most treasured metals in the world. Known for its durability, rarity and luster, platinum is a symbol of...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 24, 20246 min read
29 views


Antimony (Stibnite, Kohl) Ancient Metal of Science & Beauty
Antimony (Sb) from the ore stibnite, is one of the elements known by the ancients, a primary source of black powder kajal or kohl. With...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 22, 20245 min read
37 views


10 Alchemical Metals - Ancient Metals of Alchemy
Ten metals are used in alchemy since its ancient emergence. They are antimony, bismuth, copper, gold, iron, lead, quicksilver (mercury),...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 17, 20246 min read
28 views


Almadén Mines: Ancient Mercury Extraction
The Almadén Mines in central Spain have an infamous past driven by profit and greed. The deadly history of ancient Almadén revolves...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 8, 20246 min read
32 views


Ancient Traders & Buyers: Art of Testing Metals
Testing metals is a precise and varied process in the ancient world. It's a crucial skill in ensuring fair trade and preventing fraud....
Sylvia Rose
Sep 6, 20243 min read
30 views


Metal Smelting & Metallurgy in the Ancient World
Smelting, the art of extracting metal from its ore through heating and extraction, has been a part of human civilization since c. 6000...
Sylvia Rose
Sep 6, 20244 min read
15 views


Tellurium: Bright Gold & Dark Matter
Tellurium is the Latin word for earth. A brittle, non-malleable silvery white metalloid, tellurium (Te) is a rare element having both...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 21, 20244 min read
6 views


Alchemy: Metallurgy, Myths & Magic
Alchemy has a lifelong relationship with the magic of metals and their multiple manifestations. Metal workers and later blacksmiths...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 20, 20245 min read
13 views


Smelting Metals: Metalwork & Alchemy
In alchemy an essential piece of equipment is the hearth or forge. Smelting metal applies heat and a reducing agent to separate one or...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 20, 20244 min read
16 views


Alchemy: Ancient Purification of Tin
Tin purification is important to various alchemical practices, and a fundamental step in many recipes and formulas. In alchemy purified...
Sylvia Rose
Aug 11, 20243 min read
41 views


Calcination Process: Alchemy at High Heat
Calcination is a crucial process in sciences such as metallurgy and chemistry. A process of ancient alchemists, it's used allegorically...
Sylvia Rose
Jul 23, 20244 min read
20 views
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