Master of Swordsmith

Things about Steel

Steel is usually a combination of iron and carbon. If the percentage of carbon is greater than 2 percent, it is called raw iron stiffer but more breakable. Less than 2 percent, it is called steel softer but tougher.Although ancient people don’t know these theories, they still could make quality steel based on experiences.

Alloy composition	Explanation
C	A kind of non-metal chemical element, also is the necessity of biological formation. Has a wide variety of purposes on medical and industrial field
Si	A kind of brown non-metal chemical element, hard and has bright color, is also the foundation of glassmaking.
Mn	A kind of gray and white metal element, which can make alloy with great hardness.
Ni	A kind of silver-white and bright colored metal element, hard to be rotten, and can make coins.
Cs	A kind of gray-white metal element with great hardness.
Mo	A kind of white metal element, great hardness, and high melting point, can also make alloy.
V	A kind of metal element, can increase the hardness and the flexibility, with wide variety of purposes.
P	A kind of non-metal element, can increase the hardness and the flexibility, with wide variety of purposes.
S	A kind of light-yellow solid and non-metal element, flammable as well.
Cu	A kind of red and bright-colored metal element, rich in flexibility, great in conductivity, and can make alloy as well.
W	A kind of gray and bright-colored metal element, with great hardness and can make alloy.
Co	A kind of gray metal element, with great hardness and magnetism. Also can be made as hard alloy with other metal elements. Has a wide variety of industrial purposes.
Cb	A kind of gray-white metal-like element, can increase stainless steel’s anti-eroding ability.
Ti	A kind of silver white metal element with great hardness, can make alloy, weightless and stainless. After the electrical and chemical processing, it will produce different colors.
Mi	A kind of white-colored metal element, weightless and rustless.
Fe	A kind of gray-white and bright-colored metal element, with great hardness and is rich in flexibility. After the initial processing, the iron gradually becomes refined steel, which has a wide variety of usages.

Raw iron: it is the most commonly-used metal, with the highest mass on earth.

Low Carbon Steel: it is called soft steel and used for making nails, chains, …and so on.

Middle Carbon Steel: it is used for making friging, car steering,…and so on.

High Carbon Steel: it is usually called tool steel and made for hammer, knife, …and son on.

Mature Iron: it usually means the steel with percentage of carbon greater than 2 percent and formed with raw steel and alloy in different percentages.

Alloy Steel

With different percentage of other metals, alloy steel can be used to suit various situations.

Among these elements, carbon plays a very important role in classifying and making alloy steel to suit different purposes of uses.

Steel with less carbon os softer but tougher. Although ancient people don’t know these theories, they still could make quality steel based on experiences.

A big steel factory usually follow four steps to make steel. They are raw material preparation, iron forging, steel forging, and steel rolling. Every step is important. In ancient times, our ancestors didn’t know the concept of metallurgy. They still could make quality steel.

Iron Forging

The basic rule of iron forging is to get rid of the iron stone. With modern high temperature furnace, raw iron is made but it still has a percentage of carbon greater than 3.5 percent which makes it stiffer but more breakable. Raw iron is suitable for iron forging. After raw iron is melted into furnace and then poured out to a pool, we need to wait the iron water tocool down to get forged iron.

Steel Forging

The purpose of steel forging is to reduce the percentage of carbon in the raw iron. With addition of other alloy metals, steel can enhance its toughness, hardness, duarbility… and so on.

Ways of Steel Forging

It is the oldest way to forge steel invented by Englishman. Melting pot is made mostly of clay and graphite. This way is usually costly and suitable for small-sized factory.

This way is more complicated than the first one still invented by Englishman. Equipped with a pipe to guide iron water into the pool, mass production of steel is possible. The shortcoming of this way is that some elements like sulfur and phosphorus can’t be removed completely.

Invented by Frenchman and German, iron water is put on an open hearth to filter unwanted metals to make it purer for quality steel. It is still commonly used nowadays.

Using the electric power to melt metals, it is the most advanced way to forge steel.The quality of steel produced in this way is so outstanding that many special alloys are made this way.The drawbacks of this way is the high cost electricity.

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