"Wootz"

[Mike Brubacher]

Watched that video in it's entirety smurfs and very well done the video was. Of course I was disappointed in not being able to see "an authentic Damascus steel" at  the conclusion but the opinions expressed were very interesting indeed. This "wootz" thread has spawned quite a bit of back channel discussion here the past week and only yesterday I was convinced that wootz was merely a high grade steel exported from India and then turned into Damascus blades (with it's distinctive pattern) through the efforts, techniques and processes of  makers in other regions. The information presented in the video you provided blows that line of thought out of the water. Although the production of a wootz blade at the conclusion would have been good evidence of their theories and conclusions,  one has to keep in mind that, even without that evidence, the personalities involved in the making of  this video are not exactly your average bunch of YouTube yahoos - and far from it. 

I'm leaving the door wide open now regarding both wootz and Damascus steel. Thank you for this contribution!