Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-12481512-20130717104617/@comment-4057437-20140529044329

DragonHunterTheif62 wrote: 216.183.149.73 wrote: Since many real metals are present in TES it is fair to assume that aluminum may be present as well. I highly doubt this, seeing as for one, aluminum is created on Earth, where we focus on science and not magic, and how in Nirn, they use magic instead of sceince, and you can't magically create a metal that was originally sceintifically made in reality. In addition to the previously stated, we could be looking at this from the wrong angle. They only mix up to two metals in the Elder Scrolls without magic, I think they would magically transmute (similar to the transmute spell) a metal into Dwarven Metal using  what seems to be the source of their power for their machinery, MAGIC soul gems (intended emphasis) and a spell/staff. Aluminum is not created here on mundus by science. Aluminum is a naturally occuring element, mostly found as oxides. It is not possible to smelt aluminum from its ore (bauxite is the most common) the same way iron is, the commercial process uses electricity to get the free aluminum from a molten mixture of alumina and cryolite (sodium aluminun fluoride).

The Dwemer, having a better grasp of physical science as well as the use of soul gems than the other races, could have done this and then alloyed the aluminum with copper and other metals to make aluminum bronze (most familiar to the average person on mundus as a material used in making coins. (The gold colored centers of the Russian 50 roubles coin is aluminum bronze. Some pre-Euro french coins were aluminum bronze as well.)