Properties Of Wootz

[Chris Evans]

Originally Posted by Sakalord364

When did the quality of European blades surpass that of wootz? I assume it was when the Industrial Revolution started, though I know Europeans exported blades to India in large quantities due to their skill in mass production techniques, however I don’t exactly know if these blades were deemed superior in quality to wootz

Brigadier General John jacob (1812-1848) of the East India Company had this to say:

Even the men’s swords were of English manufacture, with
broad curved blades in the old dragoon style—the weapon which had
achieved the British cavalry triumphs under Marlborough and Welling¬
ton—and the ‘cast’ blades were much sought after by Baluch tribesmen
who loved a good sword and recognized their superiority to the pro¬
ductions of the smithies of Shikarpur.

All that Jacob claimed for these
English sabres is borne out by another high authority in cavalry matters,
Captain Nolan. When Jacob speaks of the peace of his border being
maintained by the ‘good swords of the Scinde Horse’ the phrase may
not have been wholly figurative.

See https://archive.org/stream/JacobW/Jacob%28W%29_djvu.txt

Of course, he does not say if the said smithies of Shikarpur produced Wootz swords, but the troopers preference was clearly for English steel.

Cheers
Chris