More horse-shoe nail talk and possibly an answer as found in "Engines of War: ... " Henry Wilkinson(grandson of Henry Nock) - 1841 from one of Drew's last 1/2 dozen posts.
He mentions an arsenal in Dresden "where there is an old Buchse(u w/ double dot) during the time of Henry VIII which used pyrites on a matchlock. So, is there any additional info on the old arsenal at Dresden?
Engines of War:… - Henry Wilkinson -1841
“In order to make stub-iron, old horse-shoe nails, called stubs, are collected, then packed closely together, and bound with an iron hoop, so as to form a ball about ten or twelve inches in circumference; which, being put into a furnace or forge-fire, and raised to a welding heat, is united by hammering, and drawn out into bars of convenient lengths, for the purposes intended. This method is adopted for the locks, furniture, and breechings of all best guns, and is to a certaint extent practiced for barrels, … immense numbers of horse-shoe nails are imported from France, Holland, Sweden, and other parts of the continent, in casks containing from 16 to 18 cwt. each.” From here he describes the process of tumbling and cleaning the nails so that “every particle of dust is removed.”
Maybe the truth about horse-shoe nails:
“It need hardly be remarked, that the advantage to be derived from the use of the horse-shoe nails does not arise from any virtue in the horse’s hoof, as some have imagined, but simply because good iron is, or ought to be, originally employed for the purpose, otherwise the nails will not drive into the hoof; and the iron, being worked much more, is freed from its impurities, which can only be effected by repeated workings.”
“Stub Damascus is merely one square rod of Damascus iron twisted and flattened into the riband for forming the barrel.”
“Wire-twist, of any degree of fineness, may be obtained by welding alternate laminae of iron and steel, or iron of two qualities, together; the compound bar thus formed is drawn into ribands, and twisted in the same manner as the preceding.”
“The iron called Damascus, from its resemblance to the celebrated Oriental barrels and sword-blades, is now manufactured in great perfection in this country, as well as in France and Germany, ….”
He goes into detail of the number of bars for the riband that one be twisted opposite the other. If 3 are in order, the center is twisted opposite the outside two bars. And finally he states: “The fineness of the Damascus depends on the number and thickness of the alterations;
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
Last edited by ellenbr; 12/27/07 11:05 PM.
