Bronze

Copper-and-tin alloy, harder than copper; cast into tools, vessels, and ornament.

Bronze, an alloy of roughly nine parts copper to one of tin, cast by the founder into ingots. Harder and more durable than the copper it is made from, it takes a casting cleanly and holds an edge better than any unalloyed base metal. It is traded by weight and eagerly collected as scrap for refounding.