×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Historical Metallurgy

Historical Metallurgy

Historical Metallurgy

(OP)
Hope this is not too far off the topic.  I have a Confederate sword that typifies why the South lost the Civil War.  Basically it is a poor hand made example done by a blacksmith who was  not a sword maker.  Cracks in the blade have been repaired with what the previous owner referred to as "pancake welds".  Hot metal was dripped on the tips of the cracks to stop the spread.  One metal is silver in color and the other is gold.  Neither has ever shown the slightest tendency to tarnish.  I believe the silver color is an alloy from that era known as "German Silver".  Does anyone know what the gold colored metal might be (other than gold).  Was there an allow that resembled gold in those days.  Has anyone heard the term "pancake weld" before.  

Thanks
DPA

RE: Historical Metallurgy

(OP)
Hi Greenleader,

     Thanks for the quick response.  I wasn't expecting to hear anything until tomorrow.  I'll check out the web site and let you know.  I'm at dave_adkins@msn.com just in case someone decides this was not an appropriate question for this forum.

DPA

RE: Historical Metallurgy

A copper & zinc alloy called "spelter" was often used by blacksmiths of that era for brazing operations on thin sections. Alex Bealer describes the use of spelter to repair saws and shovels in rual Alabama as late as the 1940's & 50's.

Searching for the Path of Least Resistance

RE: Historical Metallurgy

(OP)
Thanks thingmaker.  That sounds like what we are looking at here.  I knew that Confederate women gave up their gold jewelry to support their cause but I doubted that it would have been used this way.

You can tell they were hard up for metals though because the cracks are only repaired at the tips and only on one side of the sword.  

I always felt sorry for whoever carried this sword.  He must have been looking to capture something better on the battlefield.  The handle looks like the first year of production of the Model 1812 by Nathan Starr.  It seems to be a recycled model 1812 that had been broken at some time and the blade replaced with this very crude hammered example of 'turning plowshares into swords'.  The scabbard is wood with a very dry pigskin cover and the scabbard tip is broken off so the tip of the blade shows through.  It gives a kind of personal touch to history.

Thanks again,
DPA

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources