# Perforated slaves in Damascus?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 22, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212 "2002-07-22T13:15:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212/21 "2002-07-23T16:01:12Z")

</div>

Padeye, et al.: Oil quenching metal as a tempering method seems to work better than just plain water quenching, but it’s a mess and IMHO you can get pretty much similar results by “stirring” the workpiece in the water.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212/22 "2002-07-23T16:12:16Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \*  
> \*\*India was known for the quality of it’s steel, even without patern-welding. Indian iron ores had high trace quantities of vanadium, and made for very strong steels, which could then make lighter, thinner blades for the same strength. \*\*

Indeed - taken to extremes with the weapon called the _urumi_, [described here](http://216.94.9.41/mtprd/art/kalaripayattu.htm#uru), which I find absolutely terrifying. Basically, a narrow five-foot long double-edged blade, flexible enough to be coiled round in a neat circle. (The site doesn’t have pictures, unfortunately.) How you learn to use one of these things without lopping off your own appendages is, frankly, beyond me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212/23 "2002-07-23T16:18:36Z")

</div>

[Found a piccy](http://www.canalweb.net/cwsite/emis/t/tatamitv/book/bo000529/book4.asp) of the _urumi_, on a French language site. It’s the one at the bottom. Worrying.

(Apparently, there’s also some sort of percussion instrument called an _urumi_. I suspect it’s best not to confuse the two.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212/24 "2002-07-23T17:43:43Z")

</div>

Some Wushu blades are also frighteningly flexible, allowing a master swordsman to “pop” with the blade, tearing-up armor lacing, or even slipping it through narrow gaps in armor, where the razor-edged blade can create devestating wounds.

That _urumi_ looks like a razor-edged steel cat o’ nine tails. ::shudder::

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perforated-slaves-in-damascus/120212.md?page=1)