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Does anybody else find this idea that forge welded steel == damascus steel annoying? I don't really know what damascus steel is supposed to be, but forge weldin
by pasabagi 6y ago
Does anybody else find this idea that forge welded steel == damascus steel annoying? I don't really know what damascus steel is supposed to be, but forge welding isn't exactly an arcane technique, and certainly didn't originate in damascus. Calling forge welded steel damascus also seems to imply it should be unusually strong or whatever, which is not necessarily the case. I'm not even sure if there was another method of welding prior to the invention of resistance welding.
- jabirali 6y agoAccording to Wikipedia, Damascus steel really means something more specific: “Damascus steel was the forged steel of the blades of swords smithed in the Near East from ingots of Wootz steel imported from Southern India and Sri Lanka.“ “Although many types of modern steel outperform ancient Damascus alloys, chemical reactions in the production process made the blades extraordinary for their time, as Damascus steel was superplastic and very hard at the same time. During the smelting process to obtain Wootz steel ingots, woody biomass and leaves are known to have been used as carburizing additives along with certain specific types of iron rich in microalloying elements. These ingots would then be further forged and worked into Damascus steel blades. Research now shows that carbon nanotubes can be derived from plant fibers, suggesting how the nanotubes were formed in the steel.”
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]