How Does Damascus Steel Work?

it's made a resurgence. So what is this mythical steel. Let's start with some basics. Steel is an alloy made from iron and carbon, but mostly iron. The challenge for ancient metal smiths was to create steel that was both flexible and strong. Early swordmakers didn't know how to precisely compose steel. They were working with iron ore, not pure iron. Iron ores are rocks and minerals that contain varying amount of iron plus other stuff. When they melted these oars,

they got what they got. Eventually, they discovered that certain ores produced one property and others produced different properties. Some oars imparted flexible material and others strong. We spoke with iron master pair Yarbellious, whose name I did look up, I couldn't find it. I hope I didn't muck it up too badly. H He's an engineer and metallurgist with Damna Steel, a manufacturer steel produced in centuries old mills in Sweden. He explained, Damascus is when you combine these

steels into one forging. You take the flexible and you take the strong, and you forge them together. This layered forging method yields what is known as pattern welded Damascus, and this is the type of Damascus still made today. However, centuries ago it was known as woots steel, and it was some of the finest steel in the world. It was first produced in what's now India from an iron ore with a high level of carbon about one and

additional trace elements. According to study published in the Journal of Electronic Materials, the ingots or cakes of steel from what's now India were sent to the city of Damascus in what's now Syria, where they were made into swords. These also had beautiful surface patterns and were lauded for their superior physical ability. In the early centuries of Damascus steel, its most common use was for weapons, which accounts for

why it was surprized. Swords were difficult to make because they're long and slender, the best steel was required to make them stable and flexible. Early Damascus steel solved a similar problem encountered in making long guns too, considering their narrow long shapes. By the sixteen hundreds, pattern welded Damascus steel was used to make gun barrels in what's now Turkey.

The practice spread through Europe and was popular in the British Isles during the eighteen hundreds, but in the early nineteen hundreds productions stop when the Belgium city of Liege, which had produced eight hundred and fifty tons worth of Damascus barrels, fell to the invading German army in World War One. Although Damascus steel was named after the Syrian city,

it was most likely developed in several locations. Some version of Damascus steel has been produced for centuries everywhere from Indonesia to the Middle East, and Damascus isn't one specific formula. Your Bellius explained, there are different traditions from different countries

or different regions. The authors of that study that was published in the Journal of Electronic Materials noted that both pattern welded and woods Damascus were being produced by the sixth century, and not only were weapons made from these steels lightweight and strong, but they were also said to stay sharp even after being used in battle. It was even said that blades made of woots steel could cut through a silk scarf as it fell. But the formula

for woods damascus has been lost to history. By the early nineteenth century, it was no longer being produced, possibly in part because the metalsmiths who made it kept some of the process secret, and possibly because the special combination of ores dried up. By the late eighteen hundreds, modern metallurgy had improved the quality of steel. Even the pattern welded damascus created at the time became obsolete and got

a bad reputation. Modern refined steel simply worked better than its forebears, and today the function of Damascus steel plays second fiddle to its good looks. As modern metallurgy techniques improved, so have modern versions of Damascus steel. However, modern buyers still seek out Damascus steel for its appearance. After all, when it comes to swords and knives, their medieval purposes are no longer such a factor. R. Bellius said, you've

got esthetics as a byproduct in ancient days. Today we make similar patterns to what was produced in ancient days, but the steel technology has moved so much further. There are various methods for making Damascus steel today. Some artists create a limited run of an individually designed piece of steel.

Other steelmakers are interested in higher volume production and repetition of specific patterns, which they can achieve through processes like powder metallurgy, in which you use relatively pure metals that have been broken down into powder form. This is different from conventional steelmaking, in which you forge unique solid pieces together. Instead, you can use powder metallurgy to create a recipe for a pattern and recreate it as desired. It's still difficult

to work. Some patterns are trade secrets and others are just difficult to replicate. There are similar patterns that multiple blacksmiths make, although they might have different names. On the market. As of the twenty first century, Damascus steelmakers are not forging many swords. Nevertheless, the material has wide usage. Because it takes more work in craftsmanship to produce damask a steel comes with a higher price tag than traditional non

patterned steel. You'll find jewelry watches, spoons, belt buckles, razors, flashlights, and pens made of damascus steel, and, of course, in the tradition of its earliest use, damascus steel is still popular for knives, from pocket knives to high end kitchen knives. Today's episode was written by Carrie Whitney and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of other sharp topics, visit how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff is

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