damascus? what is it?

damn all i know is that it is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.

damascus steel is rather interesting. i didnt think it was during the time of the crusades.

Interesting article on it here
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9809/Verhoeven-9809.html

thank you.

very interesting. i wonder how much for an authentic damascus sword?

i can only wish

Damascus gun barrels have been made. They are simply not up to the powders in use today.

That completely depends on what type of sword you are looking for. My husband is part owner in a forge. His partner forges and my husband is the polisher, they make these type of swords and knives all the time. If you are really interested let me know and I can put you in touch with him...the starting cost for one is about $100 per inch of blade, but any more details and he will have to answer.

Aldistar, do you happen to know if the process yields a blade better than modern alloys, or is it just tradition and appearance?

I asked my husband and he wrote the following. I am just going to copy and paste it so I hope it answers your question!


Damascus is a particular formulation and process of folding steel developed in a particular region at a particular time. The reason that folding steel was done to begin with was to even out the impurities and inclusions and various elements in the otherwise less-than-pure steel.

All modern sword-worthy alloys (10xx alloys, SPS10, etc) are far superior to anything that was used "back in the day" and frankly, heat treatment methods are superior as well. That being the case, the only reason steels are folded today is for aesthetic appeal and nostalgia. I can make a modern steel blade that is far superior to anything that was produced "back in the day" with even the simplest processes and no folding, and folding (Damascus included) does not yield a superior result with modern steels.
Now, if I was to smelt my own steels and irons (in the fashion done back then, including all the garbage and imperfections they had to work with) and fold them, the result would be superior than if I was to smelt my own steels and irons and work with them without folding. Still, modern steels are purer, better, require no folding, and derive no benefit from folding.

Father-in-law had the been the last one (or perhaps one of the last ones) to do an apprenticeship as "Schwertfeger" (lit.: sword sweeper" = a [kind of] blacksmith making swords, rapiers tec), in Solingen, Germany.


For his examination he made some knives in damscus stell.

Some modern knives made in the old technique are here

My Sweetiepie Girl was out last weekend, and stopped by a place which sells used books, where she found for me "Memoirs of the Confederate War of Independence, by Heros von Borcke, for 50 cents (! ! ! ! !). It was first published in 1866 in Edinburgh, and i suspect this 1999 paperbound edition is the first reprint since then.

Von Borcke was a Prussian cavalryman who ran the blockade to Charleston, South Carolina, and served with Stuart's cavalry in the Army of Northern Virginia. He constantly refers in the book, not to his sword but to "my Damascus," and at one point, in a foot note, explains that his sword was a large, long, straight-bladed sword, which sounded to me like a description of what was once known as a military long-sword. It recalls to me that several older texts which i have read refer to high-quality steel swords as "damascus blades," which i suspect referred to quality, rather than that the author knew that it had been made by that specific process.

Ironically, many southern officers from wealthy families were proud of owning Solingen blades.

Thanks, Aldistar. I have wondered about that for a long time.

Quick question, what "era" was damascus steel being produced?

forgot to add, i wanted more of an ancient sword, not a newly produced one.

Were europeans or asians better at making swords? i always thought the japanese katanas , well i dont know how good they are compared to each other.

I know they were smelting iron first, but i dont think they advanced past the europeans.

In the Near East ("Middle East) from 900AD to about 1720.


In Europe from the Hallstein period (though those steels might have been produced unknowingly) until today.

thast quite a long time, i thought it was produced for only a few centuries.

This site (sides) (my wife used to work for that firm - and father-in-law made knives for them, too) shows some actuall examples. (In German, but easily to navigate).
Most of those are still produced in Solingen.


$3,000 for this knife (15 cm blade)

iv'e loved blades since i was little. its funny cuz i hate using them!

nice knife btw.

$ 3,282

the pattern is gorgeous..