The knife that happened... ;-)

 This is yet another tall Fimbulmyrk tale... but i daresay you´re accustomed to weird stuff like this by now. There are a lot of extremely weird coincidences in my life indeed... it all started with a hike from the bus stop  to the ironforge. I had a schedule what I had to make or what I at least planned to make. On the way I first encountered something. At first I thought it were a stray dog, but as I came closer I saw it was a fox, only that it was a blonde one. It was by absolute coincidence that I followed him for quite some time, until he made his merry way into the thicket.

I want to make sure you understand that I am not saying that this event had anything to do with what happened next. It is linked to the other event by mere coincidence of course. Or not at all. Near Gut Ahlhausen, the manor in the neighbourhood of the ironforge, I found a right treasure hoard of bloomery steel, among which there also was an ingot of already refined steel. It turned out to have an estimated carbon content of about 0,5-0,7%, and I could not resist probing it by forging a blade from it.

Now this is a very special event to me, and a very special steel. It was a bit like a belated birthday present. All you faithful readers of my blog are well acquainted to the fact that I am questing and researching on a local variety of rondel knife, the "Brakkersfelders Knopmetz" of old hanse provenience. And my research up to date has made it very plausible that this steel was - amongst other places - refined at the site of our ironforge. I state that due to the research I have made in the Civil Archive of the town of Breckerfeld and the Ennepetal Ironforge Chronicle from 1592 (fragment). The Manor of Ahlhausen was the property of the Duke of Bönen, who in that period of time also was patron of the ironforge. I found the bloomery steel on an ancient trail leading from the ironforge to the manor. So I was very excited that the steel I found is most plausibly the legendary steel from which the Brakkersfelders Knopmetz was made from!

And I could not resist forging an utility blade from it to test it and its properties. As I said, the spark analysis offeres clue that there was roundabout 0,5%-0,7% carbon in it. The steel, although wrought, reacted quite nicely to the forging process, with a temperature window from 900-1100°C. It offered a strange resistance to the hammer, an indication of high ductility. In the forging process there was one layer coming off, which I rewelded in the forge using Borax as flux. It welded very nicely and evenly, even if it was done the dirty way with no grinding beforehand.

 It did not move that well under the hammer, too. Annealing after the forging process was done in 8 cycles, bringing it up to dull orange and letting it cool besides the forge and then at room temperature, which then was about 25°C. After achieving a softness that made it possible to work it with a file easily, it was ground. Forging to final shape, by the way, had been done nearly 90% beforehand, so little grinding was required. Then I did a probing quench in lard with additional tempering from the heat in the spine and some heating over the open forge, until a blue hue was achieved. This turned out to be too much, so I repeated the quench and just tempered to a golden hue. The blade appeared too soft afterwards still (testing by slamming it edge first into mild steel rods).

 So I annealed it once again, and, gathering my resolve, did a selective water quench, first with a long temper to a blue hue, then again to a golden hue.

 Afterwards the blade still dented when I slammed it into iron rods. A file was able to take off shavings, not as easily as before, but still far too easy.

Bummer, I thought, you have messed that one up and was right mad with myself for that.

48h later I tested again. Still denting on steel rods, but now it chops stag antler without denting, carves the spine of selectively tempered spring steel knives, and the file slides off with the minutest of shavings. A knife of defined 58HRC can carve the edge of the knife, but a Karesuando blade of 12C27 with an estimated hardness of 57HRC just slips off. Blimey, what´s that, I said, and tried to carve the 58HRC blades edge... and it bit. From all I can know I would estimate it to 54-56HRC, but that last feature simply is not logical. My theory is that the blade is not that hard, but makes up for what it lacks in hardness in tensile strength and ductility. The fact that it dents on iron rods but chops stag antler and carves spring steel could maybe be explained by the composite nature of wrought iron. Some areas dent, others do not. It´s not a homogenous material after all! Bending it to 15° showed no adverse effects, slamming it tip first into hardwood and levering it out bent the first millimeter of the tip, but left the knife unaffected otherwise.

Be it as it may, for a 16th century steel this would have been state of the art.

Now I have made a big fuss in the beginning of this article by saying that there was just a coincidence, and the events are not linked to each other, and from a logical point of view, this cannot be supported. But then I can say I have never searched and researched consciously for that steel. It just came to be. It just happened. Word led me from word to word, deed led me from deed to deed. It has been a fairy tale so far, and it still is. And in this fairy tale there´s another story that goes like this:

"once upon a time, in a land far away and around the next corner..."

It just happened. t occured to me. Again, and I like it. ;-)

We are told a lot of lies these days. I daresay I´ll stick to my fairy tales more from now on... ;-)

Historical swords and cutlery in the Klingenmuseum Solingen-and the quest for the Brackersfelder Knopmetz

You all have read my post about the Knifemaker´s Fair in Solingen Klingenmuseum which I had the pleasure to visit this year again. And as usual a pleasure it was, meeting with old friends and browsing the aisles, apparently making new ones (Hi, Peter, this one´s for you, even if you already know!) and simply relishing in all the new projects by pros and amateurs alike.

But an even higher asset is the museum in itself, for there you can find properly documented and lovingly presented blades from Solingen and all over the world, from Luristan bronze and ancient Persian bronze axes through Celtic swords and long knives up to the medieval ages. The museum therefore is a must-see for anyone seriously interested in the study of blades in history.

I, for one, am still on the track of the so - called "Brackersfelder Knopmetz" (See another post), a short dagger or knife native to the region I live in which is said by many to have legendary metallurgical and artificial properties.

Thusly, I was impressed by the presence of those  knives. Left is a dagger that might as well have the looks of the "Knopmetz". How it actually looked, is still a mystery to me. I presume there were two varieties. One, referred to as the "Brackersfelders dehhen" in judicial documents and archives of stock of the time in question, would have been a dagger. For an example of the "Knopmetz", however, look here. The knife in question looks as if it were single-edged, has a "Knop" (pommel) and was often made with precious mountings. The "dehhen" presumeably was double-edged. The photo above shows a "Hauswehr" (home-defence) in the middle and a utility design very common in the North of Germany, albeit with very precious handle materials. The knife to the left is typical of the "Holbein" variety. If you compare it to the "Brackersfelders Knopmetz" in the article you can see several similarities. Crucial to the Knopmetz is therefore:

-a long, small, single-edged blade (whether the long ricasso is characteristical, remains to be examined)
-an ornamental crosspiece
-a pommel (hence the name)
-a special steel alloy which is due to the alloy resulting from the iron ore found in the mines around Breckerfeld, which I estimate as containing iron, a high carbon content, and manganese and silicium. This steel was said to have superior characteristics, to an extent that there was a legal affair in 1490 concerning the faking of the Breckerfeld sigil marker on steel that actually came from the Siegerland region. It is quite obviously stated in the documents in the city archive of Breckerfeld that the Siegerland steel (which was renowned in the entire known world in 1490 for its quality) was inferior by far to the quality of steel smelted in Breckerfeld. Which leads me to the question, what would a bladesmith regard as superior in 1490?

I guess there are two facets of the question. A steel that was at the same time taking a good temper as well as retaining a high amount of flexibility was rare, but since the excellent experimental replica of the Ulfberht swords we can quite safely assume that while the crucible steel smelting process might not be commonplace in the medieval ages, there might have been smiths still knowing the how - to in 1490. Many Frankish swords have been suspected to be made from crucible steel. Refined crucible steel is one way to achieve a blade that is taking a high temper as well as maintaining an amazing amount of flexibility. Having had the privilege to work with historical (pre-1920) tool steel, I can say the mechanical properties are quite amazing and maybe even up to par with the famed Wootz or the Russian or Turmenian Pulad. My theory now is that the Brackersfelders Knopmetz actually was made from a variety of steel that was similar to Wootz. It could be, since Breckerfeld was a Hanse community then, and the Hanse traded throughout Europe and, over small factories in Russia, maybe even from Asia, that the technology was transferred from Russia, if it were not known in the region in the first place. You can find quartzite in the vicinity of Breckerfeld, this might have been used as a cooling medium, and, in the process, added Silicium to the alloy. The iron ore found seems to be often "contaminated" with Manganese, which, when smelted and refined, would make for a steel with properties similar to modern 1.2842 or spring steel. There´s still much to investigate, and there´s a goopd thing!

Eloquent short sword from 1600.

A disc-pommel dagger with a triangular blade.

The blade in good condition.

To the right is a Renaissance sword, a so - called "Cinquedea" or "Ox tongue" for the width of the blade, originally an Italian weapon.

A most eloquent example of a Rondel or "ear dagger", presumeably used in a reverse handle grip with the thumb resting between the two pommel discs.

An unusual example of the "Grosses Messer", a sword popular with German mercenaries throughout the medieval age.

Rapier, "Katzbalger" short sword and left-hand dagger.

Above you can see a utility peasant knife, made from massive steel. Knives like these were cheap and tough and ideally suited for hard working on a farm.

With the strengthening of civilian culture there was also a movement towards table culture. A set of table cutlery from the 17th century.

17th century table cutlery. A royal decree demanded that knives for table use had blunted tips.

Table knives since look this way.

Although here you can see a fine example of a personal wayfarer´s traveling set.

...

...

...

And another ensemble of sabres and "Grosse Messer".


As I might have illustrated, if you are interested in historical developments of arms and cutlery alike, this is the place;-).

Visit this museum, it´s well worth it;-)...

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!