ABSTRACT
The major deposits of tin ores in Western Europe are very limited, and Devon and Cornwall are among the very few places where primitive peoples could obtain such ores in the British Isles, although small amounts of tin ore have been found in the Wicklow gold deposits. In the 12th century, Theophilus used soldered copper sheet, but modern opinion believes that the best tonal properties are obtained with high-tin or high-lead alloys from the lead-tin system, and the latter are cheaper. Unfortunately no early tin-smelting furnaces have been found in Britain: the only ones reported are from South Africa. The Roman ingots of the Mediterranean emanating from the Iberian mines are purse-shaped, consisting of two rectangular ingots cast together with a handle. In corrosion, a good deal of the expansion is offset by leaching out the soluble components.
