You may use some glossaries to read more about "Heat Treatment Of Steel", for example
http://www.soloswiss.com/printable/proc ... index.htmlhttp://www.eurotherm.com/industries/hea ... -of-terms/Although there are websites like
http://metallurgyfordummies.com/, getting through the terms is quite difficult.
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The information is about manufacture process that may give you some insight into the blade qualities you will receive.
I doubt that manufacturers test every their blade under the microscope to see martensitic structure everywhere or test the blade using Rockwell-type hardness tester through the all surface of blade. Different parts of the blade may have different results etc.
I was looking for people who could experiment to get as close to the original process as
possible. They are rare, because for smith it is easier to create own interpretation of the process that provides good result and put is as a spec. Often without any reference to finds that were manufactured according to this process etc.
So, basically, if you do not want replica that duplicates manufacture process, you will need to look at other properties - number of happy customers the smith have, diameter of the circle you can bend your sword in, number of notches you will have after the training etc.