Location notes for "A Marvel of Mechanical Skill"

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Here are the location notes for "A Marvel of Mechanical Skill."


The entrance to the Museum of Metallurgy has ornamental metalwork on its doors and light fixtures. The wheelchair ramp has an elaborate wrought iron railing. A demonstration area has two viking re-enactors showing how to do lost-wax casting.

The foyer features metal sculptures and ornamental railings on the staircases.

This exhibit presents the history of mining and smelting metals.

The Discovery of Metals

Part Four of the Mesolithic Period in Eastern North America
Where are the earliest known metal tools and weapons? Cyprus? Israel? Turkey? Egypt? Iraq? Pakistan? You are going to be surprised!
Copper artifacts, unearthed in the Great Lakes Basin of the United States and Canada, have been dated to as early as 9,500 years old. The makers of these tools were contemporary with the residents of a village with 1000+ residents in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and the builders of earthen mounds in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That date is somewhat older than the earliest known copper artifacts in the Middle East and Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore, copper artifacts were still rare in the Old World, when there was a robust production of a wide range of weapons and tools in the Great Lakes Basin.

North Carolina Raleigh Museum of Metallurgy Interior Copper Artifacts
Copper artifacts, excavated from the Great Lakes Basin in the United States and Canada, date back as far as 9,500 years -- considerably before the use of copper in Europe.

The Vikings used gold extensively in jewelery and other adornments.

Roman coins included these examples in silver.

This display case features fragments of bronze statuary recovered from a Hellenic shipwreck.

The Blacksmith Hall is devoted to the discovery and uses of iron and steel.

Historic weapons include this display of samurai weapons, famous for their folded construction.

This contemporary display shows knives made from Damascus steel, another technique based on folding.

See some Damascus patterns and how to make them. Modeling clay can help learn how it works. Check out these gun-barrel patterns.

Someone sculpted an entire dirgecraft from scraps.

This series of sculptures is made from railroad spikes, a popular salvage material among blacksmiths and welders.

This horse is made from metal kitchen utensils.

Iron meteorites have distinctive patterns. A large meteorite forms the centerpiece of a room devoted to meteoric iron.

The gift shop features replica sculptures, jewelry, books, and more. This section features meteorites.