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[Ellenar]

Behold, Aule now gathered six metals, copper {T(ambe)}, silver {I(lsa)}, tin {L(atuken)}, lead {K(anu)}, iron {A(nga)}, gold {L(aure)}, and taking a portion of each made with his magic a seventh which he named tikal, and this had all the properties of the six and many of its own.  Its colour was bright green or red in varying lights and it could not be broken, and Aule alone could forge it.  Thereafter he forged a mighty chain, making it of all seven metals welded with spells to a substance of uttermost hardness and brightness, and smoothness, but of tikal he had not sufficient to add more than a little to each link.  Nonetheless he made two manacles of tikal only and four fetters likewise.  Now the chain was named Angaino, the oppressor, and the manacles Vorotemnar that bind for ever, but the fetters Ilterindi for they might never be filed or cleft.

-The Chaining Of Melko, The Book Of Lost Tales 1   

I have been meditating, quite heavily, upon tikal and its properties.  It has come into my mind that the possibility exists for the recreation of this metal.  It is my hypothesis that if this metal could successfully be forged, one would be in possession of a mythic substance known for its ability to bind and ward malevolent forces.

I have learned from Aule that if tikal is recreated, that a person can use the metal to fashion an amulet, whose virtue would provide a significant amount of protective influence.  He also said, "That the virtue of tikal is not solely in the elements of its making, but also within the one who forges it." 

I must confess that I know absolutely nothing about metalworking.  Is it even possible to chemically combine the various metals, which go into its making?     

[Meneldur Olvarion]

Well, I know some chemistry, but not a lot about metallurgy.

Generally speaking, you'll have more luck making an alloy of metals near each other on the periodic table:

http://www.dayah.com/periodic/

The combo I had the most doubt about was iron (Fe) with gold (Au), however it does appear that this is possible: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5059255/description.html

Combining more than two metallic elements as an alloy becomes more difficult, and I would think that only a metallurgist would be able to say if this is possible, and if so, what it's physical properties would be.

The only thing I can suggest is maybe asking at a university that has a large inorganic chemistry department, and perhaps one that also teaches metallurgy?

///Dave

[Llefyn Mallwen]

A quick thought on the tikal.  Could it be, for some reason, that copper be a dominant metal in the mix, as copper itself has a red hue, and as it oxidises the green appears because of it's interaction with oxygen?  Here's a technical bit on copper oxidization:

Initially, bare Cu metal atoms react with air to form the pink oxide, cuprite, Cu₂O, which has Cu+1 cations. This gradually oxidizes further to the black oxide, tenorite, CuO, with Cu+2 ions. The black sulfide CuS also sometimes forms. In the presence of moisture, the blackish layer slowly reacts with sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide from the air to eventually form the patina, which is a mixture of 3 minerals:
brochantite, a green, hydrated copper sulfate, Cu₄SO₄(OH)₆
  malachite, the green, hydrated copper carbonate Cu₂CO₃(OH)₃
  azurite, the blue, hydrated copper carbonate Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂

[Niennildi Oarnen]

Since Aule had the dominion over shaping the earth to bring Eru's vision to completion, I am wondering if Tikal isn't an element rather than an alloy. As a demiurgic being, I think he created another metal that embodied the properties of copper, silver, tin, iron, lead and gold. I think the phrases "it could not be broken" and "Aule alone could forge it" are clues to this, as an element cannot be broken down into component parts as an alloy could and mankind cannot create elemental metals. 

The alloy part of this passage comes with the creation of  the magical chain Angaino.

[Llefyn Mallwen]

Though I went down the road-of-the-obvious and went looking for the reason for the reddish-hue in the constructed metal, the idea had occurred to me that tikal could be an element of it's own.  Which is slightly humorous in relation to a statement that I read lately, where the poster stated (loosely quoted)...

      "There are no unknown elements"...in reference to the Elemental Table, and  mystery metals.  The poster was trying to tell us that because something isn't in the current version of the elemental table, "it" doesn't exist.    ***what???***   My immediate gut reaction was "silly human, thinking we've already discovered everything." 

I've had *that* conversation with my other half a couple of times already. :-) 

Thanks Dineen, you're my independent confirmation :-)

[Niennildi Oarnen]

Llefyn, I am actually wondering if tikal is a known element, but that we just know it by another name.

For instance, perhaps a metal from the Refractory group on the Periodic Table so that it would meet the clue of "bright green or red in varying lights". Right now I am wondering about tungsten with it's strength and refractory capabilities.

[Ellenar]

Very keen insight, Dineen.  I myself have also been puzzling over the quotes mentioned in your response, and their relation to the nature of tikal.  It never occured to me that tikal could possibly be an element already in existence, which we may know by another name.   

[Rúnyamirë]

Now I'm no metallurgist or chemist but this topic couldn't help but remind me of an article I read awhile back on glassy (or amorphous) metals.  They're a new class of materials first developed at Caltech.  Normal metal has a crystalline structure, meaning the molecules form regular geometric patterns.  Glassy metals have an amorphous structure, meaning the molecules are randomly distributed around each other.  Their strength and hardness is above and beyond the best steel or titanium, and they do not bend but actually shatter like glass.  As I understand it there are a couple approaches to making amorphous metal.  One is to cool the molten metal so quickly that the molecules don't have time to crystallize.  The other is to mix an alloy of many metal with different atomic sizes and properties.  If you get the proportions right, the many different metals are too jumbled together and they prevent each other from forming crystals.  Perhaps tikal was a type of material we are now rediscovering?  Interesting also to note that gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead (along with mercury) were the seven planetary metals of alchemy.  Perhaps, (as alchemy is as much spiritual as scientific) those alchemists of old tapped some spark of Aule's ancient wisdom?

[Calantirniel]

This is a great topic - how did I miss it?  Speaking as an Astrologer (whom in the olde days I would have also had Alchemical training), except for Mercury, all of these metals are assigned rulership of the planets up to Saturn - and the lights (Sun and Moon).

Gold - Sun (Leo)
Silver - Moon (Cancer)
Copper - Venus (Taurus/Libra)
Iron - Mars (Aries/Scorpio)
Tin - Jupiter (Sagittarius/Pisces)
Lead - Saturn (Capricorn/Aquarius)

Missing:
Mercury - Mercury (Gemini/Virgo) and noted the only one liquid at "normal" temperatures

Thanks Llefyn for showing how Copper is the key - in Astrology, Venus is in charge of relationships and "gets along" with the others.  Interesting.

Thanks for the notes on the names of the metals, is that Quenya by chance?  Also, I recognize a few of those have their own Cirth/Tengwar symbol.

So, I wonder if this act could be "alchemized" symbolically, in the same way Dave makes sigils.  This could be pretty fun actually

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