Let's imagine we are surrounded by bold gentlemen and beautiful princesses. There is a place in Europe where this might not sound untrue. Toledo blacksmiths are famous for supplying weapons commanders such as Hanibal and Charlemagne.
In this video, the last representative of a famous family shows us the process of making swords the same way his predecessors did since the 5th century BC.
Jose Ramon Romero is one of the last sword craftsmen in the world. He inherited a long tradition and is keeping it a secret because it is carefully kept and persevered from his predecessors. They made blades from a strip of iron enveloped with regular steel to make it stronger. Actually, the fame of the weapons designed by Jose’s family came from preparing the sword from a pure steel. Our character started helping his father at the age of 16 and until today he knows when to forge the swords and to wait until the moment they are strong and blade enough.
Romero is also sharing that the blade needs to be dunked in a cask full of oil because the oil is reducing the temperature better than the water or it will break easily like glass. Afterward follows the tempering when Jose is using fire at 200 degrees Celsius to make the knife strong. At the end is the time to use a grinder to polish the steel. The last piece is to attach the hilt and make it complete.
Today’s swords are mainly made for decoration and Jose Ramon Romero is producing them for the tourists. Even though mass production from China is coming and fewer tourists are arriving in Toledo looking for such an expensive gift, he is proud because he is the last man who can make such beautiful things with his hands.
