It was practically cast iron that retained its forgeability. It was beautiful indeed.ĭamascus steel was made differently from others, being based on high-carbon steel.
The blade was then burnished, revealing the stroke marks so characteristic of Damascus steel that resulted from the multi-layering. The resulting blade was both hard and flexible. The metal was forged, folded and forged again until there were 1,000 layers or more. However, the question is where did the early metallurgists, without modern knowledge, get the idea to join layers of soft and hard steel to make these blades? And what was the result? Well, it was something of a metal sandwich. These weapons have been legendary for centuries, while the blade-forging methods were kept secret. Many have heard of Damascus steel and the sword made from it. Damascus and its steel: a history of blade-making If that sounds difficult, the reality was even more so. If it is not hardened sufficiently, it will break. Heating and then cooling slowly results in a soft metal, while rapid cooling by submerging in cold water increases hardness. They observed how the steel reacts to temperature changes while the blade is being forged.
#Different metals for katana blades trial
Today, we possess this knowledge, while smiths of former ages learned to forge the perfect weapon by trial and error. The main task when making alloys is to find the ideal combination of elements. These improve the properties of the finished product and the texture of the weapon steel, and the blade is harder and stronger.Ĭhrome makes steel resistant to corrosion, molybdenum prevents brittleness, vanadium increases strength, and cobalt improves the cutting quality.
Later, smiths began adding various elements to swords and sabres, such as chrome, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, tungsten and nickel. The composition of sword steel varied through the ages. The craftsmen also monitored the metal’s tempering temperature, which also had its nuances and specific colours. Today, the temperature and hardening time can be controlled automatically, but how was this done in antiquity? Perhaps surprisingly, the temperature was determined visually by observing the colour of the metal’s glow.įor example, a cherry-coloured shade signals a melting temperature for the steel of 800°С, dark yellow signals over 1,000°С, and bright white indicates 1,250°С. Sword steel is forged at temperatures of 850°С to 1,300☌. What is steel? It is an alloy of iron and carbon, which allows it to be hardened.
Iron began to be used in weapons in Asia in the 12th century AD. In Europe, where iron-ore deposits were discovered in the years BCE, it began much earlier. In Japan, for example, the iron age began only in the 7th century AD, as the land contained few metal resources. Second was the question of where to find the raw materials. Why? Firstly, copper and bronze are well suited to cold-forging, while iron needs to be red-hot. However, these weapons were still not perfect and were expensive, leading the smiths to seek alternatives.įorging steel was developed later. As such, it was soon alloyed with tin to make bronze, which was stronger. It is a fairly soft metal, and is poor at retaining its shape and the sharpness of its cutting edge. Hardening steel in the middle ages: from copper to ironĬopper was the first metal used for making swords and knives. However, it took time to master this method of forging steel for bladed weapons. This allowed the blade to be both hard and flexible. Researchers believe that at the cutting edge, where the steel needed to be hard, the carbon content was highest at 0.4%, while in the middle of the blade it was 0%. Flexibility was achieved by altering the metal’s carbon content. These blades (or falcatas, as they were then known) were forged individually due to the complexity of the production process. Even the most highly skilled craftsmen of the time admired these swords for their flexibility and strength. The tester then let go and, if the steel was flawless, it reverted to its original shape. The weapon was laid flat on a person’s head and bent down at both ends until it touched the shoulders. How did Iberian armourers in the 2nd century AD test their swords and sickle blades? Ancient Greek engineer and mathematician Philo of Byzantium recorded one of the methods.
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