How old is pamor

A. G. Maisey · 25th July 2008, 12:32 AM

No David, the development path of pamor is not at all well known. We can speculate, but that's all it is:- speculation.

If we look at other blades from various places, such as the Merovingian blades, Viking blades, etc, we know that the patterns in these blades developed from the necessity to to work the inferior ferric material in the forge, in order to produce material that was adequate for weapon construction.

This working in the forge, by repeated bending, welding, twisting, welding, created patterns in the finished blade that came to be regarded as proof of excellence in quality, so even when the quality of the base ferric material improved, smiths continued to create blades with patterns in the material, because their customers expected that proof of quality, even though it was no longer necessary.Over time, the patterns became quite elaborate, and developed into an art form, rather than a character of proof.

It is probable that a similar course of development occurred in Jawa.
The native Javanese irons seem to have been predominately high in phosphorus. These irons are "white" irons, in that they are pale grey, or mottled grey, in a finished product. However, they are not resistant to stress and tend to break easily. Irons that are darker, and that do not contain as much phosphorus would have been more scarce, possibly imported as items of trade, or refined through processing, and thus more expensive.It may be hypothesised that Javanese smiths extended the quantity of usable ferric material, by blending the native white irons with the refined or imported, and more expensive, black irons, and the resultant material provided a patterned surface that came to be known as pamor. In simple terms, "pamor" means mixed.
You could perhaps say that the development of pamor was driven by accountants:- highest possible market saturation at lowest possible cost. Humans in an organised society seem to act and think alike, no matter where, no matter when.

As to when this might have taken place, there is not a definite answer. My guess, and it is only a guess, although it is based on historical records, and logic, is that this process began in West Jawa in about the 12th.-13th. century.

To the best of my knowledge there are no literary sources that provide any insight at all into this question.

25th July 2008, 12:32 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,035	No David, the development path of pamor is not at all well known. We can speculate, but that's all it is:- speculation. If we look at other blades from various places, such as the Merovingian blades, Viking blades, etc, we know that the patterns in these blades developed from the necessity to to work the inferior ferric material in the forge, in order to produce material that was adequate for weapon construction. This working in the forge, by repeated bending, welding, twisting, welding, created patterns in the finished blade that came to be regarded as proof of excellence in quality, so even when the quality of the base ferric material improved, smiths continued to create blades with patterns in the material, because their customers expected that proof of quality, even though it was no longer necessary.Over time, the patterns became quite elaborate, and developed into an art form, rather than a character of proof. It is probable that a similar course of development occurred in Jawa. The native Javanese irons seem to have been predominately high in phosphorus. These irons are "white" irons, in that they are pale grey, or mottled grey, in a finished product. However, they are not resistant to stress and tend to break easily. Irons that are darker, and that do not contain as much phosphorus would have been more scarce, possibly imported as items of trade, or refined through processing, and thus more expensive.It may be hypothesised that Javanese smiths extended the quantity of usable ferric material, by blending the native white irons with the refined or imported, and more expensive, black irons, and the resultant material provided a patterned surface that came to be known as pamor. In simple terms, "pamor" means mixed. You could perhaps say that the development of pamor was driven by accountants:- highest possible market saturation at lowest possible cost. Humans in an organised society seem to act and think alike, no matter where, no matter when. As to when this might have taken place, there is not a definite answer. My guess, and it is only a guess, although it is based on historical records, and logic, is that this process began in West Jawa in about the 12th.-13th. century. To the best of my knowledge there are no literary sources that provide any insight at all into this question.