Alloy was used by the Inuit people. Native copper, however, was found worldwide, along with silver, gold, and platinum, which were also used to make tools, jewelry, and other objects since Neolithic times. Copper was the hardest of these metals, and the most widely distributed. It became one of the most important metals to the ancients. Eventually, humans learned to smelt metals such as copper and tin from ore, and, around 2500 BC, began alloying the two metals to form bronze, which was much harder than its ingredients. Tin was rare, however, being found mostly in Great Britain. In the Middle
Nickel Babbitt Babbitts high in tin content, consist of a relatively soft, solid matrix of tin in which are distributed hard copper-tin and tin-antimony cuboids. Babbits are often employed as a thin surface coating to obtain the advantage of their good rubbing characteristics. Nickel Babbitt Babbitt refers to a bearing alloy consisting typically of tin, lead, antimony, and copper. "XXXX Nickel" is a trade name for such an alloy that also contains a small percentage of nickel. Isaac Babbitt was issued the first patent for an alloy that was excellent for making bearings. The word Babbitt has been applied to many alloys