Toledo, Spain, has been a sword-making hotbed for 2,500 years — now just 2 artisans are keeping the tradition alive
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The swords forged in Toledo, Spain, were once considered the finest in the world.
Blacksmiths here have been making fine
Moreno learned the craft from his father when he was 16 years old. Back then, in the 1980s, there were a few hundred bladesmiths in Toledo.
In Moreno and Zamorano's workshops, the process begins in the furnace, where they heat a piece of steel to around 1,000 degrees Celsius. The metal is typically 60% to 80% carbon, and Moreno said master sword-makers can tell the quality of the steel by banging it against the anvil.
From there, the masters stretch and shape the metal to the right size and thickness, dunk the blade into a cask of oil, and put it back in the furnace at a lower temperature. They then hammer the blade, polish and refine the edges, and attach a hilt. The time-intensive process dictates the steep prices for"There are swords, for example, that take approximately 12 to 14 hours to manufacture," Zamorano said. "These swords sell for 200-something euros. Then there are swords that don't have straight blades, they have ornaments, the pommel is no longer round, so it takes between 16 and 17 hours. And the cost is 400."
But the coronavirus pandemic has struck a blow to their businesses. With tourism coming to a standstill during lockdown, the main market for their decorative swords disappeared. It's caused the 69-year-old Zamorano to consider retirement.
Meanwhile, foreign competition is endangering the nature of the business. Mass-produced swords that come mainly from China can be found in Toledo shops for half the price or less of handmade ones.
"Nowadays everyone can make a sword," Moreno said. "Because you take a big, beautiful oven that indicates at so many degrees you have to heat, at so many degrees it has to cool down, and that is something anyone can do from a computer."
But to be able to make a sword just on instincts alone — by looking at the color of the steel, hearing how it sounds — takes talent.Copyright © 2021. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.
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