[TheForge] Horse bit, sweet iron

[Bruce Freeman]

The same question was asked on keenjunk a couple years ago, with this =
response:

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John McPherson ahylton@vnet.net Wed Dec 27 14:29:52 PST 2000=20

Sweet Iron Myth=20

Derek, I hate to bust yer bubble, but IIRC *sweet iron* is a corruption of =
the term Swede iron (or Swedish steel), which in the old days was iron =
made with wood charcoal, not coal. It had no sulfer or other impurities =
and so was supposed to taste better(?) and last longer. As far as I can =
tell, it was just another way to mark up the price for a standard item.=20
Swedish steel is still marketed at a premium for tools and such.=20