Another documentary about iron making. This time from West Africa.
You can see how similar the process is to the one shown in the documentary about early medieval iron production, I posted last week. A family of smiths shows how their ancestors made iron for centuries. The whole process, from digging up ore and clay to making charcoal and bellows.
It shows very good how valuable iron was before the industrial revolution made mass production possible. A sword must almost had the same value as a luxury car these days. Iron tools were the most expensive possessions of a craftsman.
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