Grading

Grading is the process of increasing a metal's hardness and ductile strength by superheating it and exerting a complex spatial-tension field on it as it cools. This allows for a site of a cross-hatching crystalline growth.

Examples

 * Galvangrade - The oldest, and cheapest, variety of graded metals. A sheet of iron or steel is galvanized, subjected to a ripple-shaped ST field while the zinc is cooling, stamped, then re-galvanized. The result is a relatively durable sheet that is almost entirely waterproof. It makes for a quality roofing material.
 * Ferrograde - The first metal to be graded in the standard fashion. Pure iron (the higher the molar, the better) is melted and cooled under a large cross-slash ST field, tempered, melted at an even higher temperature, then cooled under a nanoscopic spike-board ST field, then tempered between two blocks of super-cooled, heat-resistent plastic. The result is an incredibly strong, relatively low-density metal.
 * Gildengrade - A mere, expensive vanity with no particular use. Pure gold is subjected to the standard grading process, making it as hard and strong as normal steel.
 * Polongrade Inertum - A more advanced graded metal. Though polonium is an unstable metal, a certain type of ST field can allow for the exchange of subatomic particles between the atoms of the graded metal, simultaneously maintaining the isotope state and permanently preventing decay. The result is the strongest known material, relatively dense but not nearly as heavy, nor cosmicly near as radioactive, as elemental polonium. It is vastly stronger than ferrograde and can withstand and insulate temperatures thousands of times higher than its forging temperature, making it the ideal material for armor.