I remember an article I read online some years ago, written by two metallurgists who had been studying the crystalline patterns formed in wootz steel with an eye to duplicating it in modern weapons. I don't remember all the details, and unfortunately didn't save the link to the articles, but as I recall one of the theories put forth was that in addition to the crucible method, the major contributing factors to the true wootz steel of the peak Indian years were impurities that were naturally occuring in Indian iron ore. According to the theory put forward, even if you set up an identical foundry in the middle east using all the methods used in India, and made weapons in the same manner as Indian ones, the trademark 'wootz' pattern would not be present because the ore from two different mines lack the same blend of impurities.
|