Wootz ingots, where do they all come from?

Ann Feuerbach · 1st November 2005, 03:57 PM

Hi Jens,
Having looked at many genuine wootz and pulad ingots, all the so called wootz ingots that I have seen for sale, are not genuine. The shape only slighly resembles genuine ingots. They are probably Mill Balls. Mill balls were made of cast iron or cast steel (therefore they can have a dendritic structure is polished and etched, like crucible steel). They were used to crush ore in the 18th century. This can produce a sort of pock marked surface, similar to the crucible steel slag. Beware of these well preseved ingots.
On another note, whether or not they are crucible steel or Mill balls, they are not from an excavation and are therefore looted from industrial archaeological sites. Buying them supports looting, looting causes loss of valuable and irreplaceable information.
I am working on comparing genuine ingots to mill balls.

1st November 2005, 03:57 PM	#4
Ann Feuerbach Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 133	Hi Jens, Having looked at many genuine wootz and pulad ingots, all the so called wootz ingots that I have seen for sale, are not genuine. The shape only slighly resembles genuine ingots. They are probably Mill Balls. Mill balls were made of cast iron or cast steel (therefore they can have a dendritic structure is polished and etched, like crucible steel). They were used to crush ore in the 18th century. This can produce a sort of pock marked surface, similar to the crucible steel slag. Beware of these well preseved ingots. On another note, whether or not they are crucible steel or Mill balls, they are not from an excavation and are therefore looted from industrial archaeological sites. Buying them supports looting, looting causes loss of valuable and irreplaceable information. I am working on comparing genuine ingots to mill balls.