And yet just a few paragraphs later, the author makes a contradictory statement. It seems that somber hue is meant to indicate a dark coloration. No wonder there is so much confusion on this subject.


The wavy water-lines so much admired in Damascus originate from the twisted metal, and are brought out by immersing the tubes in dilute acids, the corrosive action of which, operating differently on the iron and steel, causes the former to become of a somber hue, and the latter almost white.

Steve Culver
Steve Culver Knives