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Hey Everyone, I just want to make all those interested in Wootz Steel aware that we have now launched the International Wootz Society. It has been almost a year in planning and setting up, and we are now open and accepting members. The Society is for smiths, collectors, historians, researchers and anyone who is interested in the production, history or identification of historical crucible steels. We will be having testing of smiths and certification of standards of skill level for those who desire it. We also aim to educate the public with correct historical and technical information concerning Wootz Steel. The founders and board members are myself, Jin Singh from Wootz Militaria, Peter Burt of Peter Burt knives, Sebastian Szukalsky of ipostswords and Mert Tansu from Tansu Knives, Keith Fludder has also been helping out. The website is https://internationalwootzsociety.com/

Though I'm a full time knife maker the only forum I follow is this metallurgy one - most interesting and sometimes quite useful. I thankyou all. So perhaps the page I am attaching will be old hat to most of you, but this was a new chapter to me in the history of heat treating. Years back I looked seriously into using austempering, but because I stubbornly stick to only 01 (where bainite is a bit of an uphill road) I have not practiced it myself. https://clarksonhistory.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/secrets-of-the-dead-the-richtig-knife/

The legends of giant humans appear across many cultures and giants are attributed with varying personalities and tendencies. Some are friendly and cohabitate with "normal" humans, others are fierce and warlike, even among themselves. Some anthropologists have written these legends off as evidence that the Vikings traveled far and wide across the planet, others poo-poo the idea as simply mythology and exaggeration. My personal view is that the stories are so universal across the planet, the stories are either based in fact, or the trade routes were far more complex than we can imagine and the stories spread with travelers. I came across this article on Yahoo today and couldn't stop myself from reading them and watching a few of the videos. http://listverse.com/2016/05/07/10-alleged-discoveries-that-suggest-giants-existed/

This is a 25 minute film from around 1925~1931 of Belgian French or Flemish (not sure) Damascus gun barrel makers. I thought it was interesting enough to post here. https://youtu.be/fa9dlvRDuQU

I wanted to start a thread where I could document an ambitious project I've started on, working with the Claude Moore Colonial Farm in northern Virginia, to demonstrate iron-making in a period-appropriate fashion. The farm is the only privately operated National Park in the US, and demonstrates year-round a 1771 tobacco farm. Staff work the fields, run the farm house, and offer interpretive services year-round, there's a book store, several activities with gardening and animal husbandry, and three times a year they hold a Market Fair which has some things in common with a Ren Faire, except without any of the fantasy. Volunteers running booths dress appropriate to the time, and offer demonstrations of arts and crafts from the time in character. While they have a blacksmith who's worked the Fair for the last 5 years, the question often arises "where did the iron you're working come from?" My attempt will be to offer a visual answer to the industry preceeding the blacksmith's work in the 18th century, in the guise of an itinerant iron master. With full disclosure of the large Iron Plantations (Hopewell Furnace being a choice example) along the East Coast, smaller works were also in abundance, and so we'll show what one of those works at "farm scale" might have looked like.

Here is a photographic compilation of the collection I inherited from my late Great-Grandfather, who was involved in several conflicts of war, and traveled in between... Enjoy!

Many people on this forum craft swords. We make them for many reasons : for the sheet enjoyment of it, for the furthering of craftsmanship, for historical interest, and some of us for a source of income. Yet, there is one reason we will never be able to experience... making swords that are intended to do what the sword was originally made for : to defend life, and to take life. No, a customer purchasing a sword from you will never trust his very life to it. I have been researching this forgotten perspective lately. I teach historical fencing ,and will be giving a presentation at a local sword symposium about historical necessities that are no longer part of practicing the art . One of the topics I am covering is the gentlemanly choosing of a sharp sword for dueling and defense purposes. Several historical treatises address this subject, but my chosen source is 17th century French fencing master Monsieur L'Abbate's Sur L' Art En Fait D'Armes , translated into English in 1734 as The Art of Fencing,or,The use of the Small Sword. In the first chapter , L'Abbat gives us a very practical premise , as follows below : " Courage and Skill being often of little use without a good Weapon, I think it necessary , before I lay down the Rules for using it, to shew how to chuse a good Blade ,and how it ought to be mounted..." He later continues on ,giving his opinion on the proper methodology of choosing a good blade: " ... In order to chuse a good blade, three Things are to be observed : First, that the Blade have no Flaw in it, especially across, it being more dangerous than Length-way. Secondly, That it be well tempered ,which you'll know by bending it against a wall or other Place; if it bend only towards the Point; 'tis faulty , but if it bend in a semi-circular Manner ,and the Blade spring back to Straightness, 'tis a good Sign; If it remains bent it is a Fault ,tho' not so great as if it did not bend at all; for a blade that bends being of a soft Temper, seldom breaks; but a stiff One being hard tempered is easily broke .." The next section is what I am particularly interested in : " The third Observation is to be made by Breaking the point, and if the Part broken be of a grey Colour , the Steel is good ; if it be White 'tis not : Or you may strike the Blade with a Key or other piece of Iron , and if he gives a clear Sound, there is no hidden fault in it.... " So there we see a most curios practice . A gentleman would not be found at fault or thought abusive if he snapped the point off a sword he was interested in. Talk about tire kicking ! My specific question : What is indicated by the steel color L'Abbat describes? All broken steel I have seen has been a grey color. What would 'white' coloration indicate about the heat treatment? Is that a flaw that does not exist in modern alloys? I've always thought in terms of grain structure, not coloration. I am planning on actually breaking a sword tip as part of the presentation, so I would appreciate a scientific explanation. Any other thoughts on all this is most encouraged !

Here is another commission, this time for a Roman Brazier or, Craticula. This is based off of a find from Roman Pompeii and is thought to have been a brazier used by street vendors who wished to setup wherever there was a crowd. This one has had some of the original dimensions and details of construction changed from the original. It is somewhat larger and the rings are sized to the owners cast-iron pots. Not to mention, the addition of removable legs so that it can be used without having to set it upon a table or the ground. The original used closer to 3/8" round for the grill and their supports but, I opted for 1/2" as the original showed signs of having been bent in use. I would like to thank JJ Simon for the skull tutorial. The original lacked ornamentation but, this was just perfect for the owner of this one. It was fun to work out how to put one on the end of a flat bar. ~Bruce~

did anyone catch the show last night?? feedback??