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... ;-)

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.

 ...

 ...

 ...

 ...

 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 "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.;-)