[rescue] Accidentally destroying hardware..

[Jeremy Towers]

As I understand it, making steel from iron involves removing the carbon, 
or producing pure iron, and then adding it back in controlled amounts to 
make steel.

Damascus steel was a way to use "primitive" technology to remove the 
carbon by literally beating it out, and exposing large surface areas by 
repeated folding.  That way,  someone with a fire and a hammer could 
produce very high quality steel, something not otherwise attainable by 
the technology of the day.

As the only high quality steel available, it was used for gun barrels, 
until supplanted by modern steel making methods.

The sintering process probably has some bearing on folded steel, as its 
unlikely to be a pure chemical; iron and carbon; effect.

As in many things, once the physical processes were understood, huge and 
rapid improvements were made.

my 2c

Jeremy

Kurt Huhn wrote:

>Chad Fernandez wrote:
>
>>Damascus steel isn't all that great compared to modern steels, However.
>>At least that's what I've heard about it, concerning gun barrels.
>>
>
>Yes - but a gun barrell isn't a good application for Damascus steel.  It
>can be made incredibly sharp and strong, however, it doesn't lend itself
>well to machining and casting as you would need for gun barrells - in
>fact, I don't believe that Damascus steel *can* be cast as it ends up
>being something else.  Damascus steel is more of a method of making
>steel, combined with the materials used - not just the mezmerizing
>texture...
>
>Kurt
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