Secrets of the Viking Sword

[Ken S]

Here is a link to a fascinating PBS Nova program on the Viking sword.

Enjoy!

https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-secrets-viking-sword/

Ken

[Edgepal]

Viking sword Monument in Norway...



Thomas

[Ken S]

You guys are really serious about your swords!

According to a genealogical DNA test, I am seventeen percent "Danish". I think my Viking ancestors became domesticated and became farmers in Britain before moving west to New England.

Perhaps the Secrets of the Viking Sword touches my inner Viking.

Ken

[Mark Reich]

It does warm my heart, and it really doesn't take up much space.

Everyone likes Viking swords.

[Ken S]

Based on the program's discussion of crucible steel, would the steel of the Viking swords be very similar to the carbon steel used used in today's Mora knives?

Ken

[Mark Reich]

It's a different kind of crucible, Ken. For the Viking sword, Bill Burke (another gentleman who has spent a lot of time learning from Ed Fowler) and Kevin Cashen (another well known bladesmith) smelted their iron ore in an actual (tiny) crucible.

Crucible Industries is a giant steel company that makes all of the specialty steel with the prefix "CPM", which stands for "Crucible Particle Metallurgy". As far as I know, CPM S30V was the first successful "powder steel", so as far as I know, Crucible Steel invented powder steel.

You will hear people abbreviate the powder steel that comes from Crucible Industries as "Crucible steel". The Viking sword was made from "crucible steel". 

Now, as far as Mora knives go, they are made in Sweden, and only use Sandvik steel, as far as I know. Sandvik steel is awesome, and doesn't need to be powdered. It probably comes finer grained than any powder steel, and just as clean (pure, within tight tolerances).

Sandvik doesn't produce carbon steel or powder steel. They are very focused on high grade martensitic stainless, which is great for consumers. Since Sandvik is so practiced at making clean stainless, their steel is way less expensive for such high quality, which is why Mora knives have always been such a fabulous bargain.

This is all coming from my memory bank, which has absolutely no security guards or guaranteed funds. Mora could easily use some carbon steel, I just don't know anything about it. Sandvik could produce simple 10 series carbon steel without advertising it, or Mora might get simple carbon anywhere. It's not hard to throw some iron and carbon in a crucible and make simple steel.

[Edgepal]

I think we have a lot of myths about viking swords, sorry to say. Ulfberht ais a class of it self, somewhere about 100-170 Ulfberht swords have been found made during the rime 700-1000 = 300 years - so if there was a person named Ulfberht he probebly lived during the 700...

Then we have normal viking swords with everything from good quality to bad quality - and we also have swords made for burials abd swords made for showing of = swords that could not be used in sword fights.

Viking swords spanns from useless bling swords to tye beat quality there is...

What we can se is that the normal viking did not have a sword, he had an axe, spear and a big sax knife. Some if the leaders have a sword - but we so not know the quality of those swords.

Next thing is that we have found what we have named "weapon graves". Earlyer a weaponngtave was a grave for a man - but after DNA testnings - some of the weapon graves are Female graves = femails buried with dull weapon equipment...

In the sagas are storlek about special weapons, often swords, and those swords was named. Perhaps thise swords was Ulfberht swords with real high quality? And the sagas also tells about Valkyrias, Female warriers.

So, we have just start to relearn about some things from the viking time...

You know, our history in Skandinavia are 12000 years old and Skandinavia is full if graves from that time, from burials innthe ground that nit can be seen - to big stoneage monuments of big stones, to grave hills 65 meter wide - to small mounts. Where ever you are in Scansinavia - the graves are there, and it is our forefathers graves.

Of cause, in folklore, the biggest gravehills are graves over Kings and they are often given names from Kings - och are names Kingsmounts.

The biggest monuments of Kingsmounts are in Old Uppsala on the East coast of Sweden, the graves was made adound the year 500 and there is three big gravehills in a raw. Two of this three Kingsmounts seams today be graves over femails, not men. One is certen, one is discussed maybe Female. Other famues gravehills fromnthemmodern same time is gravehills over both a man and a Female... So our discussions here can be rather hard sometimes becouse if this, Kingsmounts are perhaps queenmounts...

if you like to se pictures from the Kingsmounts in old Uppsala, search: gamla Uppsala - and look at the pictures.
You can also search on" gravhogar. Gravfalt, stenkammargravar, gangrifter, to se other types of Scandinavian grave monuments.

If you have questions, just ask

Thomas

[Bud]

When I think about it Thomas it would seem that old knives and swords simply could not be even close to modern knives and swords. I've heard since i was born about the quality of Samurai stuff but I've always wondered just how good it could be when compared to methods and steels produced even the 1800's. All these old folks did a marvelous job in making what they made in consideration of what they had to work with but compared to modern day stuff, I really wonder if they compare at all.

Thanks so much for your history lessons Thomas. I find all of it very interesting.

[Ken S]

Mark,

There is something to be said for years of work and study. I appreciate your sharing your experience. It is fascinating how steel has developed to the point where a standard design, quality knife can be purchased for not much more than a pizza. Our material standard of living would amaze past generations. (We certainly have more material stuff. Whether or not that makes a better life is another topic.)

Ken

[Edgepal]

Bud,
I think that humans allways have been inovating people. King Tut in Egypt for 4000 years ago owned a knife made in iron from a meteorit, Ulfberht made steel long before all others, and so on.

Blacksmiths have been around as long as we have iron - and some of rhose blacksmith has of cause find out important things about iron, how to make steel, his own hardening process, and so on - and his knowledge probebly died with him. Duringvthe life he was famues for his quality - and he sis not tell anyone how he make this quality becouse he did not like others ro do it also..

Som yes, I think that in different places during different times there have been people that can make steel long before we could. Look att the blacksmith in Innsbruck in another thred.

We come back to the old question, have we humans comes this far becouse humans are intelligent - or becouse of that some of the humans are intelligent

Thomas