The new bullies on the block;-)-the folks from Ahlhauser Hammer Smithy!

It was some time ago when Mike and Diana dropped by the Bethaus smithy to do some forging with their little one and having a go. It was right fun to work with them, for especially Mike is an accomplished blacksmith himself. We the talked about some plans of theirs to revive an old smithy in the Ennepetal that - alas - burned down some time ago. Now there´s a club to sponsor its revival, and Diana wrote the other day for me to announce they are now online. And here comes the link:

http://fv-ahlhauser-hammer-e-v.webnode.com/uber-uns/

I want to give you some personal ins and outs about this smithy. It is one of the old smithies in the Ennepe valley, an old site of many smithing manufactories, and one of the last upholders of regional smithing traditions. Scythes, machetes and farming tools as knives also were made there. It stands in line with the Krenzer Hammer, another manufactory looking back on a long tradition. The valley is also deeply molded
by blacksmithing and metallurgy. Even the trees tell a tale of a long tradition of crop-change farming, charcoaling and bloomery. In many places you can find slag heaps, the so - called "Sinnerhoopen" and iron oxides and ore which hint to the smelting of the legendary steel for the "Brackersfelder Knopmetz". The smithy burned down some time ago, and those folks are now faced with the challenge to start with zero to rebuild a tradition. It is a very great thing, because this can  establish a new tradition. I will contribute as much as I can, and might be the "Brackersfelder Knopmetz" will come to life in their smithy... we will see what the future brings. For now I am quite enthused.

If you could find it in you (or your purse) to contribute to their work, please contact them via their homepage. Thank you!

The quest goes on.... for the "Brackerfelder Knopmetz" and other treasures;-)

 When I came home on Thursday, I went for an afterwork bimble in my neighbouring woods. These woods originally were property of a smithing corporation that produced saws, spades, scythes, and other tools in the 1930´s, and they filled up the trails with their scrap metal and other junk. This practice was quite common in these days. I also set out to get a clue how the Breckersfelder bog iron ore might have been processed, for you find a lot of smelting leftovers there, and Breckerfeld is situated quite close to the place where I live. In any case, this is a treasury of industrial history. One thing has to be added, sadly, and that is that this is also a documentation of human hubris, for the woods will be polluted for aeons to come. You even find chunks of sulphur lying on the surface! Heavy metals pollute the water, and many trees show signs of pollution. But, it is somewhat strange. I even found pseudovolcanic haematite, and those smelting remnants that had rested in the soil for so long now, have withered to an almost beautiful appearance. 

 I found a piece of wrought iron, an old stamp, a rod of tool steel, and a sheet bar of very strange tool steel. It appeared untempered, and yet I used it to pry and dig and smash slag and ore lumps... have to check the carbon content....:-)

 On the road to the hills, I found a piece of spring steel. I did not say no to that, either.;-)

 The sun was sinking fast, and in the fading light I came across these smelting slags.

 They were covered with volcanic glass, which hints of glass powder being used as a flux medium.

 I simply revelled in the beauty of those structures and the surfaces formed by heat and time and the rage of the forest´s roots.

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 Several steps farther ahead I came across this looong (1,2 m) rod of tool steel, presumeably, that is, judging from the rust buildup.

 An allen hey key bolt, an something that seems to be a piece of an old sickle or scythe... it will become a knife blade, and I think I´ll complete it exclusively from material from these woods.

More slag, ore remnants and pseudovolcanic glass.

I also took home some ingot remnants to practice processing of the ingot I found in Breckerfeld. The region is thoroughly stamped by industry, and often polluted by it. We smiths have a responibility for the ecosystem, too, and we must do something good. Industrialization not only has enslaved the individual worker, but also ruined parts of the ecosystem for good. The fact that several smiths could work with the material found in just a tiny area of those woods hints of over-production and the messing about with resources. I certainly am no eco - angel, but tribal knifemaking and blacksmithing has taught me to use as much material and scrap material as I can without throwing away, reusing instead of recycling. By this hike I realized how urgent this is, and I learned something concerning the quest for the Breckerfelder knopmetz... but it still goes on!;-) Watch this space.

The quest for the "Brackersfelder Knopmetz" - an iron hike

 Kai called the other day if I was in the mood for a hike and some looting and pillaging;-), and it turns out I was;-). So he fetched me by car and we drove out into the hills.

 By the road we found woodworking bum´s paradise....

 We were not exactly sure what wood this was, but it looked great for sure, and Kai took home a huge pile of it. I took a piece of dog rose wood (rosa canina). Then we made for the city of Breckerfeld to do a bimble on the historical trail too have a lookout if we could find signs of the old Hanse trail, ruins and geological info on the iron ore and the potential steel quality of the famed "Breckerfelder" iron ore.

 This certainly is no iron ore, but it hinted we were on the right path, for the red ochre in it hints of bog iron ore. At least in the find context of Breckerfeld it does. It was a bit tricky, for it had snowed and little was visible.

 The historical trail lies somewhat submerged in the underbrush, and it was quite difficult to follow. Here we paused to take a look at the creek, and there we found some first examples of bog iron ore.

 The trail lead into the thicket, and since it´s not quite fair to shy away animals in winter, we did not venture any farther.

 In the next creek we found this very interesting piece of ore. Its frontside was a rich rust-coloured red, and the backside was a quartz stone. Processing this ore would have meant that the resulting steel would have a silicium content. Silicium makes a steel more flexible while reducing the size of carbides. Nearby we found some more stones with a hint of Manganese. The secret of the Breckerfelder steel, provided this ore (of which I found several examples) was processed at a larger scale, would then be a very fine crystalline structure and material properties similar to 1.2842, O1 or common spring steel, depending on the contents. No wonder it became a legend in that time. A steel like this would have provided a high degree of flexibility and a fine edge.

[edit:]I also learned that Manganese might also be responsible for a Carbide-buildup which is characteristical for Wootz steel, which is famed for its edge-holding and flexibility properties!

 In the creek we found some beautiful ice crystals I simply want to share.

 We passed by the ancient cabin and this huge spruce, ancient and benevolent guided us farther into the valley.

 More bog iron ore and more ice crystals.

 See the greenish side of the left piece of ore-it´s mossy quartz.

 In the creek, life well prospers. I take those to be leeches and water worms. I know much too little about the fauna in creeks and want to learn more about them. Of course I put the stones back into the creek!

 Then we drove home. The next day I went there again. Forgot my camera, but this is what I found there:

 An ingot! I will try to forge a blade from it....

Watch this space, the quest has just begun!

Synchronical and diachronical etymology of the term "Knopmes" / "Knopmetz"

So, as I said, the hunt is on, and I like to circle the topic by etymology first. I learned the variant  "Knopmes" is still used in the Netherlands today, and it refers to a gardening or pocket knife. To etymologically translate the term, however, we must keep in mind that its semantics might have changed in history. Thusly, I also follow the diachronical approach, meaning, comparing the modern use of the word to the (postulated) historical use. Knopmes / Knopmetz is a composite word constituted by the words Knop- and -mes / -metz. In medieval high and nether German (Continental Saxon) the word "mez" referred to a knife that often was used to part coins. A quarter was originally exactly that: a quartered coin. the medieval high German term "des mezzes" (Gen.) meant "of certain measure" or "measure". This is similar to the Anglo-Saxon "meohtes", and reminds of the Anglo - Saxon "meohte-seax", a small knife for eating and utility tasks, which might be identical to the "hadseax" or *hadasax. The variant "metz" is due to dialectical reasons and the variants differ in the ending of the word, depending on the region. The term "Knop" is originally a continental Saxon word, due to the not realized change in the p -> f  (skip / (Engl. ship) -> modern German "Schiff") change during the documented period, and thusly a dialect spoken North of the Benrath language frontier in Germany. Hypothetically realizing the second stage of historical sound alteration would result in a translation of knop->*kno-f / *kno-ff / or into *kno-pf. Note: The asterisk is used to mark the reconstrucive, hypothetical translation in this case and executed by myself and does not stand for a reconstructed Indo-European word. In modern German, a "Knopf" is a button, and *knof could be referred to modern German "Knauf" (pommel) or modern English "knob". The modern Dutch term "Knop" also refers to the *knof / modern English "knob", if I am not entirely mistaken, for in gardening, the Dutch "knopmes" is used to cultivate trees.

[edit] The magic troll wants me to mention that the term "Nubsi" also is coherent with the term "Knop" or English "knob". It is a teenie-weenie itsy-bitsy version of a knob. *ggg*

This results in a hypothesis that the "Knopmetz" might have been a knife, not a dagger, and thusly with only one edge. It would have been short, for the documents state that, and the juristic and trade documents may indicate that, while it also was presented to princes, it was widely carried by many social classes and would have been available in several qualities. The handle would have had a pommel, a knob or disc. Also, it can be stated, that presumeably the "dehhen", "deken", "degen" was an entirely different breed, as it is well documented throughout history that the "degen" more often than not meant a dagger with two edges, often a narrow triangular blade and even a triangular cross-section.

What the two "Brackerfelders" had in common, however, was the steel. Juristic documents of that time indicate a quarrell between traders from Cologne delivering "faux" Breckerfelder steel, which was actually from the Siegerland region. It is also indicated that the steel was marked as "Brackerfelder" or "Breckerfelder". Now the steel from the Siegerland region had an excellent reputation. If there was a quarrell about the Breckerfelder steel being used as a label, I ask myself, how much better would that quality be? That it had to be better, seems obvious by the documents, but was it actually, and if, why was that so? More questions, and the hunt for my personal "knopmetz" goes on!

The quest for the "Bracherfelders Dechen" or "Knopmetz"

As you have read in my most recent post, I am currently on the tracks of an animal most shy: The short dagger or knife the small community of Breckerfeld was famous for in the 15th century. It is commonly known as a "Breckerfelder", "Brackerfelder", "Bracherfelder" and referred to as either a "dechen", a "deken", or a "degen", or, more precisely, a "knopmetz" or "knopmes". Please take note that in these times the orthography was not standardised, and the quotas in question derive from juristic documents, and judges have never been famed for their etymological precision, to say the least.;-)

"

• Breckerfeld war wegen seiner Messer und Dolche berühmt.
• Brackerfelder, Bracherfelders Dechen, Brackerfelder oder Breckerfelder, ein dolchartiges Messer, das in Breckerfeld geschmiedet worden ist [Vielleicht ist es identisch mit dem "Brekkenfeldischen Knopmetzer". Im Jahre 1536 erstach der Priester Hermann Tack zu Calkar einen Gegner mit einem "Doelgen ader Breckerfeld“. „deselve wonde myt eyme spitzen brackerfelder gestechen were [Siegburg 1527]“, „mit eim brackerfelder darin gestechen [Siegburg 1541]“. (W. Günter Henseler: Wörterbuch (Idiotikon) für die Schöffenprotokolle der Stadt Siegburg 1415-1662, Kierspe 2012.

• 1527. A II/11, Bl. 159r.
• Hait man an demselvigen vonden eyne cleyne wonde bovent dem memgen an syner rechter sytten und geyne wonde an dem licham neit me gefonden, und alß man sachte, deselve wonde myt eyme spitzen brackerfelder gestechen were.
• Hant vurscrevene burgemeistere van wegen myns werdigen Hern abtzs und des gerichtzs den licham zu der erden zu bestaden erloifft.

• 1541. A II/13, Bl. 6r.
• Ist er daruiß gelouffen und nochmails vur des Schemels huiß [gerannt,] den kloppell, daer die finster oven uffgestipt, genomen und in des Schemels huiß geworffen, zo der finsteren in mit gewalt und darzo mit eim brackerfelder darin gestechen.

• 1543. A II/13, Bl. 48v.
• Item, ist ein doide lichnam ein mansperschoen fonden worden, uff huite, dato, in der Segen ... . Hait unsse erwirdiger lieber Her der abt, bevelh gedaen, den zo besichtigen wie recht und van alders gewonlich. Haben wir an eme kein wonde fonden, dan er ist verdruncken geweist ... hiebevor ungeferlich III wechen van einer flotzen gevallen, so das wir in nit gekant. Und hait by sich gehait, einen gurdell mit eim alden brackenfelders degen.

• 1547. A II14/22v.
• Thonis, den wirdt, mit eim brackerfelder in sinem huiß gestechen in den rechten arm.

• 1552. 14/168r.
• ... erer einer den anderen zor erden geworffen, das die nachbaren Lodwichs son, den frieden zu nemen, einen brackerfelder uiß siner hanth genomen
• Schöffenprotokolle der Stadt Siegburg 1415-1662. Edition W. Günter Henseler.

(Quoted after:http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Breckerfeld)




Anyway, the term "degen" hints more towards a longer dagger with two edges or a triangular blade shape commonly used as a weapon, primarily to pierce armour. In the documents in question the weapon is attributed in two cases with having a slender tip, in one case with being old. Since it is attributed, I conclude that it might not always have been that way. Also, an informal information I have got hints towards the knife being short, and used as an allround tool rather than a weapon. I suggest at the moment that the degree of standardization might have been not very high. Since the term "Brekkenfelders knopmetz" also appears in documents explicitly as a common product of trade, I suggest it being a kind of disc pommel dagger. I have the vision, and that has nothing to do with any academic claim, of it being a shorter version of a Scottish dirk, between a dirk and a sgian dhú in length, and it might have had a flat tang, for most of the finds of the region had one, but with a disc pommel at the end. This is a most fascinating topic, and a smithing challenge at that. I would be quite fond to create a knife along the lines of the "Breckerfelder" as a modern utility, maybe even from local steel, and as close to the original as would possibly go, albeit as a legal carry. We´ll see if I´d be able to do a modern version of the knife that´ll still be recognizeable.

But first I must find one, blimey, and it seems there´s no archaeological evidence at all! But the hunt is on, and I like it.;-)