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AlphaDog posted:I have a question about Viking and Celtic swords and knives. I know they were pattern-welded, probably due to the poor quality of iron ore available. Is it true that they could work designs into the patterns created by the process? I've seen modern smiths pull it off (sort of), but I've always wondered if they could do it back then. Railtus posted:They could definitely work designs in. Pattern-welding was sometimes layered on top of a soft iron core, which would say it was decorative rather than functional. How detailed these designs got I am unsure, but they could definitely use it just for decoration. I've done some amateur blacksmithing and I thought I'd say something about this. Pattern welding is done by layering different types of steel and then messing around with the layers by twisting or cutting the resulting chunk of metal. You apply an etching chemical after the piece is finished to make the different types of steel stand out (since they will etch at different rates). The idea that metal made this way is superior in some way is a little spurious - I expect it's a myth. Pattern welding is decorative, although it can indeed be used on a functional blade or other tool. Here's the remains of an historical weapon:  And here's a modern example: 
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Jan 26, 2013 18:54
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Railtus posted:It depends on the quality of the metal you work with. Messing about with layers is helpful if working with poor metals, such as an uneven carbon distribution. By spreading the carbon across layers you can make sure that a sword does not have too much carbon in one area (meaning a brittle spot) and too little carbon in another (a soft spot), to ensure a more consistent quality to the steel. I suppose that works, but in that case you're mostly talking about folding the metal over onto itself a bunch of times... The layers become exponentially thinner so I could see how that would quickly "even out" the elements in the metal. You can't do the folding much with a visible pattern however, as after just a few folds the layers are too small to see. You could fold the individual layers before welding them together, of course. Anyway, I have an actual question. How common was it for the western European kingdoms to claim to be inheritors of Rome? I know Charlemagne was crowned emperor, probably to the annoyance of the Roman emperor over in Constantinople. I would think that, after hundreds of years of Roman rule in places like France and Iberia, that linking your kingdom to the Empire might have been a good way to claim legitimacy?
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Jan 27, 2013 03:03
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