Where's the Wootz?

urbanspaceman · Yesterday, 11:23 PM

Saladin considered the source of the miracle metal so important he built a castle to guard the mine. What I meant when I said "the Germans would probably not have access to it" was the mine and its forges not the iron ore.
Solingen has always had access to ore with a vanadium content. Birmingham didn't, incidentally, until they could get Oregrounds. Hence, crap swords all through the Middle Ages right up to the 1700s when Germans migrated there from Shotley Bridge and eventually taught us Brits a thing or two.
Still thinking about why Solingen never used the Crucible method - assuming they had learned the secrets from Damascus smiths – was it perhaps achieving suitably high temperatures. How did the Middle Eastern smiths achieve this?
I've been busy today but I will get stuck into studying those additional sources tomorrow; too tired now.

Yesterday, 11:23 PM	#17
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 544	Jordan mine Saladin considered the source of the miracle metal so important he built a castle to guard the mine. What I meant when I said "the Germans would probably not have access to it" was the mine and its forges not the iron ore. Solingen has always had access to ore with a vanadium content. Birmingham didn't, incidentally, until they could get Oregrounds. Hence, crap swords all through the Middle Ages right up to the 1700s when Germans migrated there from Shotley Bridge and eventually taught us Brits a thing or two. Still thinking about why Solingen never used the Crucible method - assuming they had learned the secrets from Damascus smiths – was it perhaps achieving suitably high temperatures. How did the Middle Eastern smiths achieve this? I've been busy today but I will get stuck into studying those additional sources tomorrow; too tired now.