On Jan 15, 2006, at 11:36 AM, Kevin wrote:
Hi gang. Quite by chance I just happened upon a programme about blacksmithing on BBC radio. I just caught it part way through (I’m in the UK), but fortunately the good old BBC makes its radio programmes available on the web so I was able to get online and hear all of it. It was part two of a five part series. Downside is that the Beeb only keeps most of its material available for one week (usually to the minute!), so episode one is gone. But you can get Part 2, todays episode, at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/historyblacksmithing/pip/40798/
Kevin,
Thanks for the link! I listened to it and was impressed with the content. However, I’m not sure I agree with the part about where the “hardened steel” or damascus came from. Tom Joyce, a well known american blacksmith has spent many years researching and collecting african iron artifacts, gave a presentation back in the 90’s on the history of african ironwork. Tom gave me his slides and presentation to put together a web story, which I published on the ArtMetal site.
If you will go to:
http://www.artmetal.com/project/Features/Africa/11.htm
You will see a reference to the damascus or wootz steel furnaces being used around 500 bc. I understand Peter Parkinson is the main person putting this series together. Seems to me he would have gotten into more of the facts than referencing damascus steel as being the be all to hardened steel. Was Excalibur really made from damascus? Or could it have been made from carbon enriched Wootz steel?
quique
BTW, if you want to start from the beginning of “Life Force at the Anvil - The Blacksmith’s Art from Africa” go to:
http://www.artmetal.com/project/Features/Africa/
technorati tags: blacksmithing, excalibur
