[TheForge] Fw: Ancient metallurgy - US Bicentennial Bloom

[Mike Spencer]

>> Can you imagine how low and stable the inflation rate must have been 
>> back when they named "ten penny" nails...

> Can you also imagine how LOW and stable a workman's wages were.

Considering that two or three hundred years ago, nails in industrial
England were made by women while the men did *real work* in the mines
or mills.  They had to buy the nail rod from the company store.  And
*they* didn't get ten pence for 100 nails.  That was retail.

BTW, you'd think that here in Canada where we still have a Queen and a
Governor General [1] that the old British traditional usage would be
standard.  But, although cartons of common nails come marked "10d",
"20d" etc. (along with length & type), I have yet to meet a carpenter
that knows what 10d  means.  They refer to nails by length: 2" common,
2-1/2" galvanized and so on and look blank if you ask for "10 penny
nails". 

- Mike

[1] It is politically incorrect to refer to her as the Governess
General. :-)

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^

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