Metal working in Equestria

[Treble Bolt 1,121]

My husband and I were discussing the FIM the other day, and we happened to start up an interesting conversation about industry in Equestria.  Being blacksmiths ourselves, we wondered in what relative time period is Equestria is in terms of industry. 

Flim and Flam have something akin to the industrial revolution, since if that super speedy cider squeezy wasn't magic powered, it would have been steam powered.  Trains are in the show, so are flying contraptions (Griffon the Brush Off with Pinkie's uh...flying thing).

However, knowing that the major part of Equestrian industry is agricultural based (at least in Ponyville), where do they get their metal?  Who works as blacksmiths in the Equestrian world? Does the Apple Family knowing basic blacksmithing (since back in the day, most farmers did their own repair work smithing parts and such).  Will a blacksmith or industrial city ever be seen in future episodes? 

 

I'm just throwing this out there, it just seems to be inconsistent with the knowledge already there about Equestria.  If they do have an industrial-aged type world, then where are the polluted, over-populated cities?  Where are the metal workers of Equestria???

 

What do you think?

[True Rarity 1,238]

You pose a good question.

I personally think that Celestia may hatch dragons to help her with blacksmithing, or maybe there is a magic spell to turn something into metal.

As for the pollution, there are probably a lot of cleanup spells and other magic techniques (Return of Harmony Pt. 1, Twilight's fail safe spell).

Maybe the metal is worked on underground.

And since unicorns can find jewels, I'm sure they can find metal. Maybe it comes pure instead of inside minerals.

Anyway, that's my opinion.

[Treble Bolt 1,121]

I personally think unicorns would make the best blacksmith, since as you said, unicorns can find jewels so they must also be able to find iron ore in the earth as well.  However, I also think earth ponies would make good blacksmiths as well since they work with earth all the time (agriculturally).  My husband's OC is an Earth Pony because he thinks that as well.  Can't imagine a pegasus being a blacksmith since they always have their head in the clouds   . 

 

Upon mentioning that metal is worked on underground, I can't help but think of the dwarves of LOTR    If that was the case for Equestria, then that would be awesome!  dwarf ponies, I'd like to see that...

[True Rarity 1,238]

dwarf ponies, I'd like to see that...

Yeah, actually that sounds quite interesting. If ponies are smaller than horses, then what would the size of a dwarf pony be?! 

[Treble Bolt 1,121]

in reality, they'd be miniature horses i believe, but with LOTR style, they need to be hairy and guff...ponies with beards, massive beards, that'd be funny. 

 

Though I really can't see all blacksmith ponies to be that way, because my husband is the opposite of a dwarf (though he does have the beard...)

Edited April 29, 2013 by Treble Bolt

[True Rarity 1,238]

in reality, they'd be miniature horses i believe, but with LOTR style, they need to be hairy and guff...ponies with beards, massive beards, that'd be funny. 

 

Though I really can't see all blacksmith ponies to be that way, because my husband is the opposite of a dwarf (though he does have the beard...)

Yeah, I can pretty much imagine maybe a big foal with a LOT of facial hair...

Well, that's a funny picture! 

The most facial hair I've ever seen is maybe a mustache.

[Frith is Magick 1,469]

I imagine it would be a magic-based industry. As for the question about the Apples knowing a little about metal working, I doubt it. If you can prove me wrong, go ahead, I may have missed it. There hasn't been any evidence of it, namely, an anvil, perhaps the most common symbol of smithing. Big Mac can do repairs, but I doubt he can do any major metal working, simply because we haven't seen anything to imply anypony does anything like that. My guess is that metal items and parts are made either by ponies who have a cutie mark for that sort of thing or by unicorns magically. As for time period, it's difficult to say, seeing as there are differences in the level of their technology relative to humanity

[Scootalove 10,673]

I think that earth ponies deliver the metal in magical industries where unicorns mend the metal in any shape or form, using their magic and the earth ponies ship it all across Equestria.

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,671]

Well, in The Mysterious Mare Do Well, the dam they showed what looked like a hydro-electric power plant. Electrical machinery like electric motors, generators and (high voltage) transformers require not only copper but also iron for their magnetic cores (we were never told what the casings are made of... It looks like some sort of steel but I might be wrong). Then there's all the copper in the power lines.

 

That Equestria seems to have electricity means there's a lot of metal that needs to be in place >.>

From the yellow glow from windows during night time, I'd guess that ponies use incandescent light bulbs. The filaments of which require tungsten.

 

I usually don't pay attention to these sorts of things...

[Treble Bolt 1,121]

Hydro-power has been around since at least 1880, and although there are "lights" in the show, they could be what we saw in 'Read it and Weep" where RD has a lantern but its filled with fireflies. Of course even if there is the use of incandecent lightbulbs in Equestria, we can also pin back to the Industrial Revolution (the earliest commercial use was also in the 1880's). 

 

The magnetic cores are usually made up of magnetic iron or ferrite I believe. I am not sure if Cast Iron is used, since it is catergorized as ferromagnetic but is has less of a magnetic pull than just iron. 

Edited October 9, 2013 by Treble Bolt