11-01-2019, 08:46 PM
Yeah well, don't feel lonely big guy. It's a universal quest. Believe me Mike, Ed Fowler, a man I count as one of my Heros, and greatest of friends, has been looking as intently as any man alive for about 40 years.
I could go on at length on the subject, but I have to admit, it's still an unexplained mystery IMHO. I've made blades that etched out to certainly resemble Wootz, but it seems to be something that can not be quantified.
It helps that Mr. Ed Fowler (and I) work with a simple high carbon steel. 52100 has unbelievable performance if you can simply NAIL the heat treat.
Some of the patterns of my etched 52100 blades are... hm... I don't really know how to convey the facts. I hope it's not too egregious to mention that you may find pictures with a simple search.
So here's a thought or two. Wootz may have been created from a small band of iron ore that had unusual alloys in place. This band of ore, which may have had some vanadium or other trace alloys, probably played out within an extremely small window of time, like couple hundred years.
Guess what. Mother nature and human error may balance each other occasionally. If you understand that it may be easier to comprehend God given gifts that can not be otherwise explained to this very day, some things can be extremely unique and otherwise quite unexplainable, even to modern science.
Seriously, JMHO.
I could go on at length on the subject, but I have to admit, it's still an unexplained mystery IMHO. I've made blades that etched out to certainly resemble Wootz, but it seems to be something that can not be quantified.
It helps that Mr. Ed Fowler (and I) work with a simple high carbon steel. 52100 has unbelievable performance if you can simply NAIL the heat treat.
Some of the patterns of my etched 52100 blades are... hm... I don't really know how to convey the facts. I hope it's not too egregious to mention that you may find pictures with a simple search.
So here's a thought or two. Wootz may have been created from a small band of iron ore that had unusual alloys in place. This band of ore, which may have had some vanadium or other trace alloys, probably played out within an extremely small window of time, like couple hundred years.
Guess what. Mother nature and human error may balance each other occasionally. If you understand that it may be easier to comprehend God given gifts that can not be otherwise explained to this very day, some things can be extremely unique and otherwise quite unexplainable, even to modern science.
Seriously, JMHO.