Brian Ross wrote on Dec 29
th, 2017 at 10:08pm:
Valkie wrote on Dec 29
th, 2017 at 5:28pm:
I have always loved Damascus blades.
I have several, and each is uniquely beautiful.
You do realise that Damascus Steel was created by
Muslim sword makers?
You do realise that the secret of Damascus Steel is not in the heating or in the folding, it is in the cooling of the metal between each "session" of metal work? They used to plunge their blades into the bodies of Goats to cool it quickly enough, to allow the crystals to set uniformly. This was only rediscovered (after being lost for about 600+ years) back in the 1980s.
Not quite my simple friend.
The Japanese also folded metal to make some beautiful swords.
But I do know the history of Damascus, of how their weapons were purported to be able to cut silk by simply dropping the silk onto the blade.
And it wound be typically muzzo to thrust a red hot blade into the flesh of a living animal.
And if you knew anything about hardening and tempering metal, you would realise that thrusting red hot steel into living flesh is a rather ineffective way to harden steel, but the muzzo wouldn't enjoy it as much if he didn't get to kill something.
You probably have no idea why folding the metal has the effect of making a stronger blade, do you?
Let alone how hardening and tempering are done.
Better get onto Google, quick, you might learn something.
Oh, dearie, dearie, me. Your Islamophobia blinds you to reality, yet again, Valkie. Who said that the Goats were live? Folding the metal was as I have already said, only half the story. The other half was the rapid cooling between the folding sessions. Without that cooling, the crystals would not align properly and the metal would be weaker. As for the claims about the keenness of Damascus Steel, all true. King Richard, Coeur de' Lion once met An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub known as Salah ad-Din or Saladin, in a truce. After the meal, and discussion about their swords. Richard summoned his sword and a steel bar and cut through the bar with his sword. Saladin called for his blade and a silk handkerchief. He dropped the silk handkerchief on the blade and it was cut through.