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Originally Posted by Manolo
Hello,
This is a wonderful discussion, thanks to all the metallurgists for the great information!
In "Armes blanches du monde Islamique" by Alain Jacob, I think, I recall an account by a French officer in Napoleon's army who commented on Mamluk sabres. He gave an account of the way Mamluks trained: they would ride at full speed towards a block of wood on which was placed a turban. They would have to slice the turban in half without displacing it off the block, careful not to hit the block of wood as it would break the sword and cause great shame. I don't recall if he characterized the blade as Damascus, but the passage indicates that these blades could hold a magnificent edge, but were extremely brittle. Would such blades exhibit a high austenite content?
Regards,
Emanuel
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Emanuel, have you realized that hitting a wooden block at that speed would have meant to cut into the block itself making angled leverage on the blade during the very few seconds of gallopping away ? This would break *every* sword or bent a too soft one. Never cut, eh ?
