marty_bill_ wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 7:22 pm
Interesting. But what about the Ulfberht sword? Famous Viking sword created hundreds of years before modern stainless steel came about. Like maybe some 800 or so years before modern stainless. But it was crucible steel. There's a special about it on the History channel I think? I'll see about finding a link. Here it is
https://youtu.be/qqAMl8qQFl0
There’s archaeological evidence of crucible type steel production in Central Asia going back to the 8th century, and in India and Sri Lanka going back to 300 BCE. Some Indian iron ore was thought to have been naturally alloyed with trace amounts of vanadium.
It’s been conjectured that billets of this crucible steel travelled along the Silk Roads and Viking trade routes into Western Europe.
The steel wasn’t stainless though, nor were the mechanisms involved in its production as clearly understood as they were when Huntsman started making cast crucible steel with coke in the 18th century.
Here’s a pic I took of some discarded crucibles outside the steel puddling rooms in the old Tyzack Scythe Works in Sheffield - now the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet.
Deadboxhero wrote:
I got a chance to hold one from a private collector, I should have gotten a picture but I was caught up in the moment.
Wow, that must have been an amazing experience Shawn.