Metallurgy and Smelting Traditions
Focuses on extractive metallurgy, furnace design, and crystalline structures of ferrous and non-ferrous weapons.
Inside this collection
Crucible Wootz Steel
Analyzes carbon-rich South Asian and Central Asian crucible cakes, carbide banding, and water patterning.
Bloomery Iron and Direct Smelting
Examines bloomery furnaces, reduction chemistry, slag inclusions, and the conversion of bloom into wrought iron.
Pattern-Welded Composites
Covers twist-welding and laminating distinct iron and steel bars in Migration and Viking Age swords.
Japanese Tamahagane and Tatara Smelting
Details coastal iron sand reduction in clay tatara furnaces, kera cakes, and folding steel refining.
Copper Alloys and Bronze Casting
Surveys lost-wax and bi-valve mold casting of tin-bronzes, arsenic hardening, and ancient cold-hammering.
Heat Treatment, Quenching, and Tempering
Explores martensitic crystal transformation, differential clay coating, oil and water quenches, and temper colors.
Archaeometallurgy and Slag Analysis
Examines destructive and non-destructive laboratory methods to identify ore chemistry, smelting heat, and inclusions.
Ancient Ore Sourcing and Trade Routes
Traces isotopic tracing of copper, tin, and iron ore deposits moving along ancient and medieval maritime trade routes.
Legendary objects deserve
a closer reading.
We study materials, makers and surviving evidence. Legends open the question; history guides the answer.
Our approach