Viking Swords and Wootz

Chris Evans · 15th January 2009, 10:17 PM

Hi David,

Your question covers a lot of territory defying short explanations that I may come up with and which could be readily understood - Keep in mind that sometimes it is said that those who understand the metallurgy of steel understand all of metallurgy because iron-carbon is so complex. Jeff Pringle can probably do beter, though in the meanwhile I suggest that you wrestle a bit with this paper: http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM...html#Verhoeven to better understand pattern yielding Wootz, which the authors call Wootz Damascus.

I should mention that swords made from bloomery iron (sponge iron) were forged at higher temperatures and I have read a number of accounts that later era European swordsmiths who managed to obtain Wootz cakes could not forge it successfully as they did not know that a lower temperature was a requisite.

Cheers
Chris

15th January 2009, 10:17 PM	#12
Chris Evans Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 685	Hi David, Your question covers a lot of territory defying short explanations that I may come up with and which could be readily understood - Keep in mind that sometimes it is said that those who understand the metallurgy of steel understand all of metallurgy because iron-carbon is so complex. Jeff Pringle can probably do beter, though in the meanwhile I suggest that you wrestle a bit with this paper: http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM...html#Verhoeven to better understand pattern yielding Wootz, which the authors call Wootz Damascus. I should mention that swords made from bloomery iron (sponge iron) were forged at higher temperatures and I have read a number of accounts that later era European swordsmiths who managed to obtain Wootz cakes could not forge it successfully as they did not know that a lower temperature was a requisite. Cheers Chris