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Old 16th November 2005, 03:01 PM   #11
Mark
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What do you think is the age of that aluminum axe? Before electolytic extraction methods were perfected (making it possible to extract aluminum from dirt, essentially), it was really considered a precious metal. I forget when that change happened -- maybe early 20th cen.? An interesting story is that the cap of the Washington monument is a little pyramid of aluminum about 18 inches high, which was a very major part of the expense of the total project, and had to be specially commissioned from the scientist was was then developing the electrolytic extraction process.

Perhaps this is either a product of that era, or the cultural value of aluminum was established by that era.
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