Materials used in medieval pattern welded swords

Seerp Visser · 26th May 2016, 09:53 PM

For a study, i should like to know the materials used in medieval times to forge pattern welded swords.
Perhaps a subject discussed before, but can anyone help me to find metallurgical information about the subject?
Are there results available from research on unearthed swords?
What are the materials causing the contrast in the coloring of the blade?

Ian · 27th May 2016, 05:08 AM

Seerp:

I'm going to send this one over to the European Armory Forum where you are likely to get more attention to this topic.

Ian

Cerjak · 27th May 2016, 10:50 AM

Please see this thread

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21215

best

CERJAK

Jens Nordlunde · 28th May 2016, 10:38 PM

Hi Seerp,
This may help you - if not, I will try to dream up some other books.
Sachse, Manfred:Damaszener Stahl.Verlag für neue Wissenschaft GmbH, Bremerhaven 1989.

Timo Nieminen · 29th May 2016, 12:29 AM

You might find what you want in http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Crucible.../dp/9004227830 (and you'll find some of Williams's stuff in his papers online).

The simple answer is iron and steel, with the steel ideally having about 0.7% carbon, though this wasn't always achieved. Some surviving swords show a lot of contrast due to differential corrosion; when new, they were (at least sometimes) polished and showed very little contrast (IIRC, one source describes a sword blade being breathed on so that the condensation would show the pattern).

For high contrast patterns, stain the blade (like keris blades). There's discussion of staining methods in al-Kindi's book, available in English translation: http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Islam.../dp/0906094526 (though not European).

Hotspur · 29th May 2016, 01:17 AM

There is also the root url of this site that shares numerous articles.
http://www.vikingsword.com/

Cheers

GGC

Roland_M · 1st June 2016, 03:40 PM

"The simple answer is iron and steel"

It is not as simple as you may think, because they had dozens of different types of steel and iron without any industrial standard. The quality of the different types was also very different.

It is also almost impossible to find out more about medieval european steel and iron, because we have no written sources from that period.

Only one country in the world has a complete history of its steel manufacturing, Japan.

26th May 2016, 09:53 PM	#1
Seerp Visser Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Posts: 37	Materials used in medieval pattern welded swords For a study, i should like to know the materials used in medieval times to forge pattern welded swords. Perhaps a subject discussed before, but can anyone help me to find metallurgical information about the subject? Are there results available from research on unearthed swords? What are the materials causing the contrast in the coloring of the blade?

27th May 2016, 05:08 AM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	Seerp: I'm going to send this one over to the European Armory Forum where you are likely to get more attention to this topic. Ian

27th May 2016, 10:50 AM	#3
Cerjak Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: FRANCE Posts: 1,065	Please see this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21215 best CERJAK

28th May 2016, 10:38 PM	#4
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Seerp, This may help you - if not, I will try to dream up some other books. Sachse, Manfred:Damaszener Stahl.Verlag für neue Wissenschaft GmbH, Bremerhaven 1989.

29th May 2016, 12:29 AM	#5
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	You might find what you want in http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Crucible.../dp/9004227830 (and you'll find some of Williams's stuff in his papers online). The simple answer is iron and steel, with the steel ideally having about 0.7% carbon, though this wasn't always achieved. Some surviving swords show a lot of contrast due to differential corrosion; when new, they were (at least sometimes) polished and showed very little contrast (IIRC, one source describes a sword blade being breathed on so that the condensation would show the pattern). For high contrast patterns, stain the blade (like keris blades). There's discussion of staining methods in al-Kindi's book, available in English translation: http://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Islam.../dp/0906094526 (though not European).

29th May 2016, 01:17 AM	#6
Hotspur Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nipmuc USA Posts: 498	There is also the root url of this site that shares numerous articles. http://www.vikingsword.com/ Cheers GGC

1st June 2016, 03:40 PM	#7
Roland_M Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Germany Posts: 525	"The simple answer is iron and steel" It is not as simple as you may think, because they had dozens of different types of steel and iron without any industrial standard. The quality of the different types was also very different. It is also almost impossible to find out more about medieval european steel and iron, because we have no written sources from that period. Only one country in the world has a complete history of its steel manufacturing, Japan.