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Metal

Defined through force, heat, and repair.

Metal.jpg

What Belongs Here

Metal includes only metals that enter making systems in Tunisia:

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  • Iron and steel

  • Copper and brass

  • Aluminum

  • Silver, in limited functional use

 

Metal is considered here only where it is shaped, joined, reused, or repaired locally.
Symbolic, monetary, or purely decorative metals are excluded.

Geographic and material reality

Metal availability in Tunisia is uneven and indirect.

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  • Iron ore extraction exists only in limited northern sites.

  • Most usable metal appears as scrap or imported stock.

  • Copper work concentrates in specific centers, notably Kairouan.

  • Scrap accumulates around cities and industrial zones.

 

Metal follows infrastructure, fuel, and circulation routes.

 

Climate matters:

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  • Coastal humidity accelerates corrosion.

  • Heat expands metal and weakens joints.

  • Salt air stains and eats unprotected surfaces.

 

Metal survives here by being worked with these conditions in mind.

Acquisition and preparation

Metal is rarely taken raw.

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  • Iron and steel are cut, reheated, and reshaped.

  • Copper and brass are hammered, annealed, and reworked.

  • Aluminum is cut, bent, or welded in thin sections.

  • Scrap is sorted, cleaned, and remelted repeatedly.

 

Most metal enters workshops already fatigued by a previous life.

Recycling is not an ethic here. It is the dominant supply logic.

How metal behaves

Iron and steel

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  • High strength under load

  • Brittle under repeated stress

  • Vulnerable to rust and corrosion

  • Deforms permanently when overheated

 

Copper and brass

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  • Soft and highly ductile

  • Resistant to structural failure

  • Forms protective patinas over time

  • Cannot hold sharp edges

 

Aluminum

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  • Very light

  • Corrosion resistant

  • Soft unless alloyed

  • Loses strength under heat

 

Silver

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  • Very soft

  • Tarnishes rapidly

  • Structurally weak

  • Used only in small-scale forms

Making implications

Metal favors rigidity over flexibility,
intervention over adaptation,
precision over tolerance.

Errors are difficult to reverse.
Mistakes cost material.

Quality recognition

Metal quality is recognized physically.

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  • Weight reveals density.

  • Sound reveals purity.

  • Heat reveals conductivity.

  • Patina reveals age and composition.

 

Real copper darkens and greens.
Steel rusts where it is exposed.
Aluminum dulls without flaking.

Uniform shine is often a warning.

Objects metal becomes

Metal forms:

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  • cookware and trays

  • tools and implements

  • hinges, locks, and fittings

  • gates, grills, and frames

  • fasteners and connectors

Longevity and limits

Metal lasts through intervention.

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  • Rust is slowed, not stopped.

  • Joints loosen and are retightened.

  • Surfaces are polished, repainted, or replaced.

Position

Metal demands force, skill, and correction.

In Tunisia, it persists because it can be repaired.

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