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I have no reference handy, but I read in an interview with a TI rep that they use a steel for which they piggyback their orders on the order of an industrial company who uses it by the ton.

Nuclear, not so much. At least, in some cases. A former colleague had a ukrainian wife who under the soviet regime designed triggers for 'instant sun' devices. Now she's unable to work in that field...

I have read that there are accounts of invaders sparing local blacksmiths and simply put them to work for their own needs because blacksmiths were just too useful and valuable to waste.

True. I HT by color, and found out one day that on a bright sunny day, this is very error prone. Best is when it is overcast, or there is no direct sunlight. In the direct sun I've found it very...

It does help. I don't have a sinking feling because I am not emotionally invested in the argument. Live and learn. I can admit when I am wrong. When I looked up alloying on wikipedia, it also said...

That's exactly what happened. Crucible steel was already made centuries before alchemists came up with the fire, earth, water, air, spirit model. Before people even knew about molecules, let alone...

Btw, I don't want demean the quality of the steel of those days. I just wanted to point out that they didn't necessarily understood the theory of what they were doing, or how the alloys worked or the...

Not really. At least, you won't hear me cry. Tamahagane is basically crud. It's one of the least efficient ways of making steel. The only reason it was done, is that that was what they had to work...

Yes and no. They understood carbon and iron. But I am willing to bet that they didn't fully understand the influence of, or knew how to measure percentages of tungsten, manganese, etc, which do play...

Marketing existed then as it does now, and there is plenty common off the shelf steel with names like 'damascus' where it is just plain steel. Snake oil is of all times. And in that era, knowledge of...