Wootz performance?

Rick Haney Design · Jan 20, 2005

I have a question concerning wootz,Has anyone here tested a wootz blade to see how well it compares to a standard forged blade?I've been looking at Angel Sword wootz,Beautiful stuff for sure.Although pricey,Given the time & labor it takes to make wootz.The price seems to be in line with the commercially made stainless damascus,Angel Sword also heat treat & cryo your blades as part of the price per inch.BTW,I'm interested in the wootz they recommend for stock removal for folders.Any insight would be appreciated. Rick.

bithabus · Jan 20, 2005

Angel Sword sponsors their own forum, so you might post there if you're looking for information specific to Techno-wootz.

www.swordarts.com/forums

Note: I am not affiliated with the AS corporation, I'm just a fan.

Triton · Jan 20, 2005

Capricorn61 said:
I have a question concerning wootz,Has anyone here tested a wootz blade to see how well it compares to a standard forged blade?I've been looking at Angel Sword wootz,Beautiful stuff for sure.Although pricey,Given the time & labor it takes to make wootz.The price seems to be in line with the commercially made stainless damascus,Angel Sword also heat treat & cryo your blades as part of the price per inch.BTW,I'm interested in the wootz they recommend for stock removal for folders.Any insight would be appreciated. Rick.

Are you interested in purchasing a sword or just a wootz blade? For all practical purposes I doubt that you are going to find much of a performance difference between wootz and any monosteel, much the same as I doubt you are going to find much of a difference between "damascus" and monosteel. For the most part sword performance is much more determined by things like proper balance and blade geometry then it is by the steel used. Of course if there's a particular steel that a smith likes to work in then it's to your advantage to let him work in what he likes. If you like the way it looks and are willing to spend the money buy it for the aesthetic.

Blades_Two · Jan 20, 2005

The quality of wootz is dependent on the maker and the ingredients. There is no standard. Quality can go all over the board. Good luck with the search.

Rick Haney Design · Jan 20, 2005

Thanks guys,I forgot about the forum.I'll check it out.Right now,I'm playing around with several different steels.Mostly stainless,Just to see which steel I like to work with.

Rick.

Triton · Jan 20, 2005

What are you planning on making?

TLM · Jan 21, 2005

Roselli makes the same model puukko in wootz, UHC steel and "normal" steel, from some tests I read the high carbon blades stayed sharper longer cut a bit better but were more difficult to sharpen than std steel.

TLM

nozh2002 · Jan 21, 2005

What I did so far with my knife - cut oak. Standart piece from OSH - 6х64х610mm, I marked kind of scale on it and whittle it cm by cm.

So far I rich 30cm level and it continue to cut. This make me stop doing this because I did not see difference, only heart my hand. Of course it is not sharp as it was at the beginning - I can not shave, but it is able to cut oak, and there is no visible damage on the edge.

(15 cm mark)

I am new in testing, so I am not shure is it right test or not and I did not yet test Buck Vangard (CPM S30V) to compare with as I planned before - I spend week before finaly gave up and I need some rest for my right palm.

I will continue and will post results.

Thanks, Vassili

sartech · Jan 21, 2005

...While I'm clearly no expert. We had the great opportunity - @ The Collectors' Show last weekend - to have some of the great minds in Damascus and Pattern-Welded Steels present a Round Table Discussion about the history, nature and direction of these materials...

I'd recommend that you contact Ric Furrer @ Door County Forgeworks in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. (He gave a succinct and thorough history from earliest known records up to the present.)

He's particularly adept at making Wootz, is an historian and educator, and through his thoughtful and generous demeanor will probably be able to point you in the 'right' direction...

Who knows, you'll probably make a new friend, learn a lot and maybe end up getting one of his great pieces...

His talent and humanity are truly a gift to the World...