120 DAMASCUS SWORD BLADES, 



VI. 



Account of an E3peri7neTit to imitate the Darnqfcus Suord Bla^ei:^ 

 In a Letter from Mr. James St odart. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON, 

 Dear Sir, 



On ^vord blades O AVI NG lately had an opportunity of examining fomo 

 in general. fword blades, which appeared to bedefeftive, I was induced 



Quality too . i r ,i . . rr.t r i • rw • r i r 



often defe^ive. ^^ make the following experiment, j he lubject is lurely ot 



fome importance, and perhaps never more fo than at the pre- 



fent moment. We hear of fwords having broken in battle, 



and we can hardly imagine a more diftreffing circumftance, 



Thofe which I have feen are certainly in no danger of failing in 



that way, for on the contrary they ar^ evidently too foft, and 



confequently cannot form a good cutting edge. I am not ac^ 



quainted with the procefs ufed in making fword blades, but 



^m inclined to fufped that the price allowed is not equal to 



Experiment. the labour necefTary to form a good inftrument. The following 



Steel and iron ^jethod, which I believe to be nearly the fame as that pradifed 



bars were welded ^ - , y • ^ t r r ^ iii ^•r,- i t 



together, at Damalcus, but which 1 lulpecl would be too difiicult and 



expenfive for general application, may perhaps lead to fome 



more fimple method of accompli filing the defired purpofe. I 



took fix fmall ba/sofgood malleable iron, and the fame number 



of ftieer fleel, and laid them one on another alternately, as if 



forming a galvanic pile; I then with the afliflance of an expert 



workman, committed them to a clean forge fire, and with 



Forged out, care we fucceeded in welding them into a folid lump. This 



was forged into a ilout flat plate, which being heated to white- 



Twifted, flat- nefs, was by means of llrong tongs tvvified fpirally until it 



tencd, ■ii^\n formed a cylindrical tube. In this twifled (late it was heated, 



mercd flat. ' hammered flat, and again welded, and after being forged into 



a convenient form and fubflance, was doubled throughout its 



whole length, fomcwh^it in ihe manner of (he back of a faw. 



An edge of ftcel ^ flip of good fteel was inferted, and another welding heat 



a baclToMhe"''" taken, which confolidated the whole mafs. I need not fay 



compound, this flip of fleel was intended for our edge. The remaining part 



of the procefs was Ample; it conflfted only in forging it into 



the fliape of the blade we wanted; which on examination 



proved perfectly found in every part. Being eager to witnefs 



foHjc proofs pf excellence and beauty which my expectation 



