The real secret of steel and the finest blades: Wootz Damascus Steel

[barnetmill]

Part of living well is to have the finest blades. The sad thing is the technology (secret) to make the finest steel blades seems to have been lost about 1850
Wootz steel is not to be confused with pattern welded Damascus steel and wootz steel was discovered about 2,000 yrs ago in southern india. The information I have dates from 2017 and so to my knowledge there is no commercial source of the real thing yet and I would really love to have such a blade and it would not be cheap for sure. There are some claims of people that say they are making true damascus steel. If someone knows of a source, I would appreciate knowing about it.

When they talk of the secret of steel, it is not Conan's daddy casting a bronze sword as in the below photo.
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It is a very long process; to get true Damascus steel is more complicated than what the Japanese sword smith must do to make bloomery steel and then the complex forging process they use to transform that into a decent blade.
For those that have the interest and patience here is a 50 minute video where they get very close to making good Damascus steel. It starts with getting the right ore and one essential ore ingredient is vanadium. Once they get to the refining crucible stage that includes green tree leaves and then the more critical heat treatments of the produced crucible steel and then the forging of it is indeed a complex process and one mistake and you need to start over again.
A good blade at 60 rockwell will still be flexible and durable.

13th century damascus blade
59995

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8PCkcBZU4
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8PCkcBZU4" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8PCkcBZU4
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8PCkcBZU4)

[Trench]

Thanks!

I love all things sharp and cutty.

[jlwilliams]

The late Alfred Pendray made Wootz about 30 years ago. I think he taught a few smiths how he did it. I know that JD Smith is pretty knowledgeable on the subject. I'll ask if anyone alive today is making it.

[barnetmill]

The late Alfred Pendray made Wootz about 30 years ago. I think he taught a few smiths how he did it. I know that JD Smith is pretty knowledgeable on the subject. I'll ask if anyone alive today is making it.


Thanks. The posted video is about Al Pendray: A 50-minute documentary about the legendary Al Pendray, together with two swordsmiths from Jordan, and their quest to produce authentic wootz Damascus steel with ores mined from a historical mine in Jordan - a mine that is known to have produced weapons for Saladin himself.


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[Gunstore Commando]

A good blade at 60 rockwell will still be flexible and durable.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP8PCkcBZU4)

That is absolutely jaw-dropplngly amazing.

[Forklift]

That was quite interesting to watch, thank you.

[barnetmill]

They still make some fine blades in Toledo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LL47wUSD2M

[barnetmill]

Making a Japanese Wakizashi (Short Sword) with modern methods in Toletdo, Spain


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc1aBq_OEVk