Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s2.t1.2

v1.c14.s2.t1.2

Most of the copper and bronze objects were obviously made by casting, but a few shaped and finished by hammering. Axes and chisels were heated and hammered after casting until they reached the atmospheric temperature. Thus it is evident that forging was well-known to the Lothal smiths. Chanelled crucibles with thick walls of clay mixed with sand were used for casting long bars which were subsequently hammered into chisels, rods etc. The thicker bars appear to have been cut into thinner ones as indicated by the grooves on some of them. The reason for not casting socketted daggers, arrowheads and shaft-hole axes is often attributed to the nonuse of closed moulds of more than one piece. But it may be noted here that the use of close moulds of more than one piece was made in casting figures in cire perdue technique.