The evolution of metal for forging tools and how it was done in the middle ages has been a mystery for a long time. It is believed that the first hammers were made from stone and wood. They were then later made from bronze. The next step was to use iron, which is not as strong but much more durable than bronze. This is when they started making it into a material that would be able to withstand being used over and over again without breaking down or rusting away
To make this material more flexible, they would heat it up so much that it became malleable. Then they would form it into shapes by pounding it on an anvil with another piece of metal called a hammerstone. After heating the metal again for some time, they would cool it off so that the malleability returned and then hammer them together again until they were flat and smooth on both sides. These two steps are known as annealing and tempering
After this process, the metal had been hardened or tempered so that there was no need to temper it again before using it for forging tools like hammers or swords.
how was metal forged into tools in the middle ages