Boker Knifestyle | EN Edition 2018 / 2019

12
DAMASCUS
Damascus steel – a millennia-old blacksmithing
craft that still unfolds its
fascination today. The first proof of
Damascus is a Celtic sword from about
500 BCE. Even though this forging
technique most likely did not originate
with the Celts, they did manage to perfect
the process. The first artisan Damascus
blades were made by the Teutons during
the Great Migration Period (300 to 450
CE). They were able to use controlled
forging processes to make specific and,
more importantly, repeatable Damascus
patterns.
Swords made from torsion Damascus
were made with extremely sophisticated
production methods, even by today’s
standards. Artifacts like the sword from a
grave near Sutton Hoo (England) posed an
enormous challenge for today’s Damascus
blacksmiths, until they figured out how to
replicate this fascinating sword.
At the time of the development in Europe,
steel of excellent quality was also made
in Japan, which was mainly used in the
forged katana blades wielded by the
samurai. For the longest time, history
considered Japan to be the pioneer.
Japanese swords were generally seen as
superior to the European ones, although
that is historically incorrect.
Due to different cultural conditions, many
more high quality Japanese than European
swords have made it through the centuries
unscathed. While Japanese swords were
lovingly passed down from generation to
generation, the artisan swords of Northern
Europe were often sent to the grave with
their owners and got lost in the mists of
time.
This led to an apparent “supremacy” of old
Japanese swords in the present day, which
cannot be matched by European artifacts
in comparably flawless condition. Looking
back, it can be said that forging multilayered
steel was originally a means to
achieve the best possible material quality.
The decorative element of Damascus
took much longer to come into its own.
Today, Damascus steel is still very popular.
However, this general enthusiasm is no
longer rooted in technical consideration,
but rather an expression of passion for
the material and its special look that still
radiates a near magical fascination. Today,
there are several methods for making
Damascus steel: