Hello All,
There have been no reports which I am aware of which state that any wootz blade was martensitic.
On a recent trip through north India I saw many blade which showed this darker edge, many were Persian, but a few Indian.....as I understand the differences.
This will be the subject of some study in the near future.
I have several samples to test, but should anyone have any blades which exhibit this and are of no use for anything else I would like to take a sample of the blade for testing...and yes, this is a destructive test and yes it will occur in a lab both in the UK and in the US.
My gut reaction was that they were heat treated in some fashion, but quenching to martensite is but one possibility.
Ric
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