The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-01
DAMASCUS SWORD BLADES.
How They Are Made.

The reader may have no difficulty In call
Ing 60 mind many narratives Of truth, largely
nlIoved with fable, respecting the wondrous
powers of Oriental swords how that the Ca
iInh Haroun nj Rashld, when rambling about
IN the Disguise Of peaceful Citizen wore his
gavorite sword coied up III his turban SO
great was liz elasticity; how that the Damas-
Gus blade Of the Turkish beadsman was 30
keen that 1t cut off the head Of criminal
without his knowledge till, being told to
shake himself. his head rolled down To his feet.
More wondrous tales than these might be
raked UP, but we Will not forget to mention
Sultan Saladins sword OF true Damas Gus
ekillfully cut In two a piece of Persian silk as
I'll Heated In the air, TO the amusement of
Richard Galr de Lion. who, robust and an ath
lete, by his good stout English sword cut In
two bar Of iron OF some thickness. All
these tales must be taken cum grato sdiia.
We propose to Inquire briefly Into the man.
Ifacture OF tie sword blades OF Damascus,
which have been celebrated for centuries, and
at the present day are highly esteemed by
military men.
Our method Of making sword blades Ia
well known: they are excellent, serviceable,
aud made Of the very best material. The
Damascus artists are supposed to adopt sew
eral modes peculiar to themselves. The sub
Ieet has been carefully investigated by
scientific Frenehman named Clouet. who has
produced blades possessing most of the
qualities of the best Damascene instrument.
The qualities which peculiarly mark the
Damaseene blades are, first. uncommon keen
ness OF edge: second, extensive and perfect
elasticity. third. peculiar ecked or spotted
grain. and fourth, an odor resembling musk,
which is said to he exhaled when the blade Is
rubbed or hent. In considering these qualities
we shall have an opportunity OF detailing
the mode of manufacture SO far as 1t Is
known. Glouet thus describes the process:
4. The blade ia composed OF number ~
thin plates of different varieties Of steel united
together In the direction of their length by
forging and Welding. The surfaces of this
compound bar are then worked upon WIN u
CRAVING tool, 50 as to produce large variety
of hullows. which are afterward worked up
and brought nearly to u level with the faces
inf the blade and THUG tress-like figures are
formed; hence this operation is called tress,
ing. from It's Resemblance TO the natural
curls Of human hair. 2, A bundle Of steel
rods are welded together, and then twisted
AZ q red heat After repeated forging aud
twisting the bar is left by the last process,
ut forging. IN a straight form. 1t is then split
In the direction OF It's LENGTH and the outside
faces are Joined by Welding. BY this means
an appearances can be given to the steel some
what resembling the tieckiness Of the Damas-
,ene blades. This process is called "torslon."
4. The blade, after the process OF tor
sion, IA cut into short pieces, and united again
by welding i'll such Il manner as to present
Eind OF mosaic-work OF the surface OF the
steel
by adopting these plans, M. Clouet sue
ceeded In initiating most OF the peculiarities
which distinguish the surface Of Damascus
steel. There was one popularity. namely, the
watered designs on the Damascene blades,
which CIouet could not produce, but which
art was successfully attained by
MI. Breant. We may observe here, though
well known that steel differs from iron by con-
tanning carbon In chemical union which union
is effected by suhiecting the iron In contact
with charcoal to an intense heat, II more
charcoal Is employed with the iron than y
necessary TO form good steel. two compounds
Essult-one Of steel and the other UT carbu
retted steel or castiron, the latter containing
more carbon than the former. Now, Breant
found that when mixture of this steel and Of
carburetted iron was fused and allowed to cool
slowly without being disturbed u crystalline
compound resulted, which being afterwards
forged into q sword blade and immersed in o
weak acid solution, the tlecked appearance Of
the Damascus blades was produced. lnanoth-
81 process Breant by mixing iron filings and
iampblack produced a steel not only equal to
but SURPRISING the Oriental steel in those
qualities which make the latter SO valuable.
1T appears, then, that Damascene blades
can now be manufactured BY European and
American artists as well as BY those IN the
East. In the land Of hyperbole, where almost
<asaafst y trsf.itrt:rHre pfaups ovarfated.
hs 70 the perfume Of the blade the result Of
sober inquiry has shown that 1t Ia not incor-
porated with the steel. Mr.. Emerson, In his
letters from the lIgean. says that he never
saw any Damascus blades which retained
their perfume for q length Of time; SO that
the probability Is, that the blade IS simply
anainted from time to time with an oderifer-
Gus substance
The. zeal and perseverance with which |
manufactures have been cultivated in modern |
ttfues--our improvements in science, ma
chinery and general intelligence have all had |
LIE effect of completely transcending most of |
the celebrated manufactured productions of |
Eastern nations. which for hundreds of years
have either remained stationary or have re-
LFograded ID the scale Of civilization.