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early welders created small circular gold boxes. In the Iron Age, Egyptians and other cultures of the eastern Mediterranean Sea used welding techniques to create iron tools and weapons. The Iron Age was a period in which tools and weapons made by iron supplanted (replaced) in quality those made of bronze or other metals. Starting dates for this era vary by region. In the Middle East and southeastern Europe, the era began in about 1200 BCE, but in China it did not begin until about 600 BCE.

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During the Middle Ages, blacksmiths used forge welding to build and repair weapons, armor, chains, and ornaments. Their metalworking methods remained largely the same until the 1800s, whenmodern processes such as gas welding and cutting (established around 1850 CE) and two different methods that used electricity—arc welding (1880s) and resistance welding (early 1900s)—were developed. Other welding techniques continued to emerge from the 1920s through the 1970s and beyond. Today, new welding technologies are being combined with robotics and automated systems. These systems have replaced

8 CAREERS WITH EARNING POTENTIAL: WELDER