Vintage Copper Mining and Smelting Film
is a visually stunning film and gives an overview of the process of mining and smelting copper, using striking footage of big explosions and molten hot metal. Far from bland as one might think a history of metallurgy would be, the massive machinery and white hot pools of liquid metal involved in the American copper smelting process are breathtaking. The first sequence shows how copper is mined from the ground with metal working tools and using dynamite (up to fifteen sticks!), and then transported by rail to the refinery. Afterwards, smelting, which is the process by which ore is melted down in order to extract pure metals, is shown in all its bright orange glory. This film about the history of copper and copper smelting remains interesting, from the mining to the furnaces, because it doesn't get technical but focuses on the great shots of this industry at work. This great metal working video is a wonderful introduction to metallurgy in general, and copper mining in particular.
