The National Republican And Ohio Political Register

DAMASCUS STEEL.—Some time ago we published a notice concerning Damascus steel; but we cannot forbear quoting the following most authentic account of the method practised in Bombay, for making twisted gun-barrels and sword blades, from the 43d volume of the Transactions of the London Society for the encouragement of Arts, Commerce and Manufactures.—N. Y. Times.

The gun-barrels made at Bombay, in imitation of those of Damascus, so much valued by the orientals for the beauty of their twist, are manufactured of iron hoops obtained from European casks, mostly British. The more they are corroded by the rust, they are proportionably acceptable to the workmen; should there be any deficiency of this necessary oxidation, they are regularly exposed to moisture, until they are sufficiently prepared for welding. Being cut into lengths of about twelve inches, they are formed into a pile an inch or an inch and a half high, laying the edges straight, so as not to overlap each other; a longer piece is then so fitted as to return over each end, and hold the whole together in the fire. The pile is then heated, and drawn out to a bar about an inch wide, and one third of an inch thick: it is doubled up in three or more lengths, and again drawn out as before;— and this operation is repeated to the third or fourth time, according to the degrees of fineness required. The bar is then to be heated about one third of its length at a time, and being struck on the edge, is flattened out the contrary way to that of the stratification. This part of the operation brings the wire or vein outwards upon the strap. The barrel is then forged in the usual way, but much more jumping is used than in the English process, in order to render the twist finer. The most careful workmen always make a practice of covering the part exposed to the fire with a lute of mud, clay and stable manure; in order to guard against any unnecessary oxidation of the metal. When the barrel is complete, the twist is raised by laying the barrel from one to five days in vinegar or a solution of the sulphate of iron until the twist is raised; this process is called the wire twist. To produce the curl, the bars or straps are drawn out to bars about three-quarters of an inch square, some to the right and some to the left; one of each sort are then welded together, doubled up and drawn out as before; and upon the experience of the workman, any intricacy of twist is produced by this drawing out doubling and twisting. Sometimes, to save trouble and economize iron, thus prepared, the artist will rough file an English barrel, weld a strap of Damascus iron spirally round it, or several laid longitudinally, and welded on. A native artist never works with coal under any consideration; charcoal, from light woods, forms his only fuel.

In making the sword blades, there are several methods used; some make a pile of alternate layers of soft and hardened steel, with powdered cast iron, mixed with borax, between each layer. These are drawn out to one third more than the length of the intended blade, doubled up, heated, twisted, and re-forged several times; the twist is brought up in the same way as that in the gun barrels. Some swords are forged out of two broad plates of steel thus prepared, with a narrow plate of good iron welded between them, leaving a solid steel for the edge of considerable depth. Others prefer to make them of one plate of steel, with a lamina of iron on each side of it, to give strength and toughness.

Swords of this description were tempered in the following compound, with desirable effect. The blade was covered with a paste, formed of equal parts of barilla, powdered egg-shells, and crude soda heated to a moderate red heat, and just as the red is changing to a black heat, quench it in spring water.

It appears that Damascus obtains all its steel from the Decan, where it is called the wootz kind, or Indian steel. The damasque (or joar) is natural to this steel, and is raised by immersing it in an acid solution.