Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Gt Obach · 29th October 2006, 10:15 PM

Hi

yes wootz has some odd fissures at times...... they can arise from many reasons... from air bubbles (that why you try to keep the top of the ingot for the back of the blade )... -- maybe some slag inclusion ---- or working the ingot too hot.....-- may also have some uneven distribution of elements..aswell

wootz does align in sheets.... but they are not like patternwelded blades....there is no weld boundaries.... so delamination is an awkward term for this.... and besides it shouldn't keep shearing appart....

as i like the question... was wootz combat worthy.... i did some tests today...

got out my last piece of wrought iron... a piece of flat bar... 3/16 thick... and used one of my wootz blades to test.....

i held the WI ontop of a large 190lbs piece of steel i have sitting in the forge..... i struck it many times.... with a very large wind up... .. and on one chop i actually cut the bar in half...
-- keep in mind that i can hammer things quite hard as i do enough smithing

as i have done far more stressful tests on my blades.....i wasn't worried about doing this to one of my knives....

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture004.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture005.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture008.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture009.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture011.jpg

so far..... the blade did have some damaged..... as you can see some of the etch was removed... (which i can easily redue )..... there is only a little chip that can be felt when running your finger nail on the edge..... but very hard to see........ this happened when i chopped through the wrought iron bar and into the corner of the steel underneath...... but i can redress this edge without worry...

the knife is 1/8 inch thick and inch and half wide......

actually i was shocked that there was a minute bit of damage.... it does tell me that i should maybe temper a little bit higher...... but thats it...... as i've done this test many times before with mild iron and 1/4 plate

the blade is my wootz type crucible steel... as it does come very close to the Indian style watering

now........ does this end the question...... i don't think so.... as this is a modern creation by me...... i can only stand by my word and hammer...

but it does tell you that i'm not scared of any turkish cannon chain..

29th October 2006, 10:15 PM	#147
Gt Obach Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 116	Hi yes wootz has some odd fissures at times...... they can arise from many reasons... from air bubbles (that why you try to keep the top of the ingot for the back of the blade )... -- maybe some slag inclusion ---- or working the ingot too hot.....-- may also have some uneven distribution of elements..aswell wootz does align in sheets.... but they are not like patternwelded blades....there is no weld boundaries.... so delamination is an awkward term for this.... and besides it shouldn't keep shearing appart.... as i like the question... was wootz combat worthy.... i did some tests today... got out my last piece of wrought iron... a piece of flat bar... 3/16 thick... and used one of my wootz blades to test..... i held the WI ontop of a large 190lbs piece of steel i have sitting in the forge..... i struck it many times.... with a very large wind up... .. and on one chop i actually cut the bar in half... -- keep in mind that i can hammer things quite hard as i do enough smithing as i have done far more stressful tests on my blades.....i wasn't worried about doing this to one of my knives.... http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture004.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture005.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture008.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture009.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...Picture011.jpg so far..... the blade did have some damaged..... as you can see some of the etch was removed... (which i can easily redue )..... there is only a little chip that can be felt when running your finger nail on the edge..... but very hard to see........ this happened when i chopped through the wrought iron bar and into the corner of the steel underneath...... but i can redress this edge without worry... the knife is 1/8 inch thick and inch and half wide...... actually i was shocked that there was a minute bit of damage.... it does tell me that i should maybe temper a little bit higher...... but thats it...... as i've done this test many times before with mild iron and 1/4 plate the blade is my wootz type crucible steel... as it does come very close to the Indian style watering now........ does this end the question...... i don't think so.... as this is a modern creation by me...... i can only stand by my word and hammer... but it does tell you that i'm not scared of any turkish cannon chain..