Is Wootz steel more difficult to work with and perforate then Regular steel?

Sakalord364 · 21st September 2025, 06:27 PM

Here is an Afghan private purchase sword from the early 1900s that was posted here before, the Handguard/Hilt is made entirely of Wootz, and the perforated openwork design on the guard resembles the the steel gothic hilted swords of the British.

I was curious because the openwork designs/perforations (such as the triangles etc.) on the Afghan hilt are rather rough and asymmetrical when compared to the British examples.

Was this because the British hilts were mass produced according to a set pattern, and perforated with specialized tools, thus the decorative perforations on the hilt would be neater and more uniform, as opposed to the Afghan example which was a unique one off piece made by hand?

Or perhaps was this because Wootz steel is harder to work with and perforate and thus cracked and was much harder to pierce when compared to the sheet steel I’m assuming the British makers used for their hilts?

fennec · 25th September 2025, 01:29 AM

You right when you say that wootz is harder to work, but in my mind only at the forging steps.. Once finished, you can work it.
See those wide koftgari parts, and other kind of inlay. those was first carved with other tools, obviously harder than the sword (that has a heat treat for softening it, not too hard, or too brittle). Wootz is quite "soft" once correctly forged. Only cementites inclusions gives it its hardenss, but possibly dont make the engraving harder (only supposing, never carved wootz haha).
So I dont think that its the reason of such work, even I'm not sure the gard is also made with wootz

kronckew · 26th September 2025, 10:45 AM

19c crucible steel can look a lot like wootz, but isn't I've heard if you over-work the forging you can lose the patterning as it evens out or removes the inclusions that cause it. India ran out of the ore that wootz was made with, and then lost the techniques passed down verbally thru the earlier ages on how to work it. In reality, modern steels are more homogenous and have better properties for swords, but wootz has its mystical appeal. Pattern welded steel or that early crucible steel isn't wootz. There is a Russian who says he's able to duplicate wootz, i'm not sure if that has been verified.

Battara · 27th September 2025, 01:03 AM

I've not engraved into wootz but into pattern welded steel. When I hit a harder steel in the pattern, the engraving gets more difficult.

Wootz is much smaller and so I'm not sure, though I can agree that the pearlite particles could make things more difficult as well.

21st September 2025, 06:27 PM	#1
Sakalord364 Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 72	Is Wootz steel more difficult to work with and perforate then Regular steel? Here is an Afghan private purchase sword from the early 1900s that was posted here before, the Handguard/Hilt is made entirely of Wootz, and the perforated openwork design on the guard resembles the the steel gothic hilted swords of the British. I was curious because the openwork designs/perforations (such as the triangles etc.) on the Afghan hilt are rather rough and asymmetrical when compared to the British examples. Was this because the British hilts were mass produced according to a set pattern, and perforated with specialized tools, thus the decorative perforations on the hilt would be neater and more uniform, as opposed to the Afghan example which was a unique one off piece made by hand? Or perhaps was this because Wootz steel is harder to work with and perforate and thus cracked and was much harder to pierce when compared to the sheet steel I’m assuming the British makers used for their hilts? Attached Images

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25th September 2025, 01:29 AM	#2
fennec Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: France Posts: 40	You right when you say that wootz is harder to work, but in my mind only at the forging steps.. Once finished, you can work it. See those wide koftgari parts, and other kind of inlay. those was first carved with other tools, obviously harder than the sword (that has a heat treat for softening it, not too hard, or too brittle). Wootz is quite "soft" once correctly forged. Only cementites inclusions gives it its hardenss, but possibly dont make the engraving harder (only supposing, never carved wootz haha). So I dont think that its the reason of such work, even I'm not sure the gard is also made with wootz

26th September 2025, 10:45 AM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,253	19c crucible steel can look a lot like wootz, but isn't I've heard if you over-work the forging you can lose the patterning as it evens out or removes the inclusions that cause it. India ran out of the ore that wootz was made with, and then lost the techniques passed down verbally thru the earlier ages on how to work it. In reality, modern steels are more homogenous and have better properties for swords, but wootz has its mystical appeal. Pattern welded steel or that early crucible steel isn't wootz. There is a Russian who says he's able to duplicate wootz, i'm not sure if that has been verified.

27th September 2025, 01:03 AM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,339	I've not engraved into wootz but into pattern welded steel. When I hit a harder steel in the pattern, the engraving gets more difficult. Wootz is much smaller and so I'm not sure, though I can agree that the pearlite particles could make things more difficult as well.