Copper & bronze
Soft, warm, and ancient. The metal we're named for.
The soft metal
Copper doesn't harden the way steel does. Work it and it gets brittle; heat it to a dull red and quench, and it goes soft again — the opposite of steel. It's the metal we're named for, and it teaches you to be gentle.
Working it
anneal heat to dull red, quench in water forge work it cold or barely warm join rivet or braze, never rely on one rivet finish it takes a deep polish and a rich patina
Why we keep it around
Copper and bronze are the reason smithing exists — humans hammered copper long before they figured out iron. It's forgiving, warm to the eye, and it reminds you the craft is older than the steel.