[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Marcus

He refers to the steel as “good Sham wootz”, by which I assume he means that it is actually fine grain pattern welded.

Marcus, "sham wootz" refers to a type of watered steel pattern.

From Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani.

"Partly based on the accounts of European travellers, other wootz patterns such as sham (striped) pattern, wave pattern, begami pattern, water pattern, woodgrain (mottle) pattern, bidr or qum pattern, rose pattern, and kirk nardeban have been identified in modern publications"


http://www.moshtaghkhorasani.com/bio...shamshir-2006/

Good quality Persian shamshir blades are made of crucible or wootz steel. After a complex process of crucible smelting and subsequent forging, various patterns of steel were produced. These patterns were created by varied compositions of the ingredients used in the crucible charge and by mechanical manipulations of the surface of bars of steel. After smelting and forging, for desired mechanical and artistic characteristics, these patterns were revealed on the surface by treating it with an acidic liquid that revealed the surface pattern, or “grain”, of the steel. Period Persian manuals such as Nowruzname, attributed to Omar Khayyam Neishaburi (1048-1131 A.D.), indicate that different names were used to describe different patterns of wootz, such as lolo (round like pearls), sim (having white traces looking like silver), payhaye murche (the pattern looks like blazing ants’ feet), and bustani (garden pattern; tends to be blackish in color) (Khayyam Neishaburi, 2003/1382:52-56; Moshtagh Khorasani, 2006:119-121). Another manual entitled Adab-e al-Harb va al-Shojae (The Customs of War and Bravery), written by Mobarak Shah Fakhr Modabar (1131 A.D. or 1141 A.D. – date of death unknown) in Persian, presents further wootz patterns, namely paralak, taravate, ruhina, moje darya (sea waves), and pare magas (fly’s wings). Partly based on the accounts of European travellers, other wootz patterns such as sham (striped) pattern, wave pattern, begami pattern, water pattern, woodgrain (mottle) pattern, bidr or qum pattern, rose pattern, and kirk nardeban have been identified in modern publications (see Zeller and Rohrer, 1955:95; Sachse, 1994:72-73; Figiel, 1991:70).