Hi this may sound like a stupid question but the bladsmiths that use stainless steel damascus like when they buy a billet from devon thomas or mike norris seem to just do stock removal I would like to know why this is why cant they stick the billet in there forge and forge a knife to shape becaues some smiths that do stainless damascus also forge carbon damascus so why cant they just heat the stainless damascus billet up and hammer it to shape.
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About stainless damascus
- Thread starter hirokatsu
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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What mete said - also,those fancy patterns that they pay all that money for would be changed radically by the forging.And the forging is a PITA.
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I don't forge no stinking stainless 
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2005
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Stainless is harder to forge, and doesn't perform as well as carbon steel.
Unless it's made from RWL-34 eg. Damasteel. But then why try to forge a powdered steel? It's like sticking S30V into a forge. You'll just ruin it.
I wouldn't recommend doing that.
Unless it's made from RWL-34 eg. Damasteel. But then why try to forge a powdered steel? It's like sticking S30V into a forge. You'll just ruin it.
I wouldn't recommend doing that.