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I am not sure you will get far with the hot forging of copper, because copper will usually have had some sulphur and/or lead contents, i.e. if they where not specifically refined, and I'd be really interested on my part of what exactly you are referring to by hot forging. Most of the high medieval works from non-ferrous  sheet metal will have been chased with intermittent annealing? 
Theophilus has indeed an elucidating chapter on the refining of copper and also on the ways of how to tell that the copper is pure, i.e. with a hot ductility test.
The copper production chapter is accurate, however the translations are not. I am happy to share my view on the copper production of the 1200's in medieval Germany, should that be of any help...

There is a en excellent German translation of Theophilus by Erhard Brepohl (2000), who is a goldsmith himself, and the techniques are translated sensibly! Otherwise there is the translation of Hawthorne & Smith (1979) which is also translated by a metallurgist, but not by a practitioner of the craft....

Best,
Bastian

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Bastian Asmus
PhD candidate
Archaeometallurgy 
UCL, Insitute of Archaeology 
University College London 

Am 26 Feb 2009 um 17:53 schrieb Thilo Rehren:

For c 1200, Theophilus' On Divers Arts is even more relevant / appropriate since it dates from the exact same period, and is also much more concerned with artefact production and craft skills. However, he does offer rather less on microstructures. For those, try David Scott's Metallography of Ancient and Historic Metals.

Thilo


----- Original Message ----- From: "Terry Griner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 4:37 PM
Subject: Re: Medieval production of copper objects


Die Re Metalica comes to mind.

Thanks
Terry


-----Original Message-----
From: Arch-Metals Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maickel van Bellegem
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 10:55 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Medieval production of copper objects

Dear all,
For work I am doing on a Limoges(?) ciborium, dating to c.1200 I am looking for
literature about production of copper (possibly with enamel and gilding) during
the Medieval period (from Spain to England). Especially hot forging has my
interest but any suggestions towards ore processing, metalware manufacture
techniques and subsequent metal microstructures are welcome.
Thank you, Maickel van Bellegem (metal conservator, The British Museum)