Anybody Actually Use Damascus

ChiefTJS

ChiefTJS

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
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113
I've never owned a damascus blade but I find them attractive for sure. I had an old damascus barreled shotgun once that you couldn't use with modern ammunition so I've just always considered it weak. Does anybody actually use a damascus knife or are they pretty much just for decoration. Obviously extra points for pictures.
 
I rarely use damascus, but when I do I choose (usually) a san mai with a high-performance core (S90V, S60V...etc). What would be the point of a knife in a performance steel if you never use it?
 
A couple of Viejo's visited the other day, Both very experienced ranchers. Stopped by for a lil tequila and dinner. Both had very ranch worn and used damascus knives that I'd made them years ago:

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I'd also made a one off castrating knife, for my wife when we were ranching, from damascus. In cowboyese this kind of knife is often referred to as a "nutter."

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I stopped using damascus some years back and basically replaced that niche in my model lineup with 26C3. But I didn't stop because damascus doesn't work well. I did so for simple supply reasons. A business decision not based at all on performance. Sales were great on my damascus knives and they were going to folks that really used knives.

Using steel? Heck yeah. My DIL took care of this cow elk with her lil Poco model:

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Properly made Damascus from quality materials is not week in any way. If the smith does their job correctly, the steel should behave exactly as a monosteel.

It isn't magical, it can really be no better OR no worse than it's parent steels.
 
I have a Buck 110 Damascus Stag that is 512 layer random Damascus I got in 1989 that I have used over the decades and lost count how many deer I’ve field dressed and other critters. It is definitely not just for show! It’s been a great knife for me but I’ve kind of retired it mostly because of sentimental reasons and the newer blade steels like s30v, s35vn and Magnacut are even better and require no special maintenance and are superb.

Damascus was really popular back in the 1970s and 80s and there were some that were very well made but it can also be hit or miss on the heat treatment at how well they perform but if you get a good one they make an excellent knife. I don’t know about the more recent Damascus offerings if they are any better or worse than my 1989 version but it seems there’s a lot of pattern welded steel that are popular. I think it depends on who makes it and their processes and heat treatment at how good they are.
 
Medieval Peasant said:
It works completely fine but is not on par with modern super steels like S90V, Magnacut, etc..

I like to think of its performance along the lines of 154CM. Not terrible but not excellent, it just works.
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"Not on par" and "performance" need to be defined before blanket statements can be made.

Context is everything.
 
Lots of the cheap Damascus is total junk . Might be OK for display , only .

Most "high performance " functional stuff , I would expect to pay a premium over mono supersteel .

I don't have any , for that reason alone .

But, it can be very beautiful . 😎
 
DocJD said:
Lots of the cheap Damascus is total junk . Might be OK for display , only .

Most "high performance " functional stuff , I would expect to pay a premium over mono supersteel .
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True story. And a good marker for those looking to buy. If it's NOT expensive, you might want to steer clear.

Anyone that's ever made, or watched in person, GOOD Damascus, would immediately understand why it is (and should be) so expensive.
 
Medieval Peasant said:
It works completely fine but is not on par with modern super steels like S90V, Magnacut, etc..

I like to think of its performance along the lines of 154CM. Not terrible but not excellent, it just works.
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Pattern-welded Damascus can be made up of virtually any steels (compatibility varies of course). It makes no sense to say Damascus does not perform as well as S90V or MagnaCut since Damascus could be made with those two steels.
 
Larrin said:
Pattern-welded Damascus can be made up of virtually any steels (compatibility varies of course). It makes no sense to say Damascus does not perform as well as S90V or MagnaCut since Damascus could be made with those two steels.
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Would it be better to say that early firearms, didn't receive the same level heat treatment, that we see in later years?

That and not all steel is made for the same applications. Early Damascus steel shotgun barrels were made for black powder.

Modern firearms that use nitrocellulose based powder, need steel made to contain the stronger forces.

That's why people that buy antique firearms, should do some research before firing them. Using modern ammunition in a black powder firearm, could end catastrophically!
 
J. Doyle said:
"Not on par" and "performance" need to be defined before blanket statements can be made.

Context is everything.
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What context do you need? Damasteel uses RWL34 which is similar to 154CM and stuff like Nichols makes use a composition of AEB-L, 440C, etc. Not exactly super steels.

And Damascus with a “core” is like apples and oranges here. Generally speaking, Damascus used in a lot of high end knives tends to fall in the category of Damasteel, Thomas, Nichols, Bakers Forge, etc that are all using softer steels.

Let’s not use technicalities and speak about what’s being used across the market.

Larrin said:
Pattern-welded Damascus can be made up of virtually any steels (compatibility varies of course). It makes no sense to say Damascus does not perform as well as S90V or MagnaCut since Damascus could be made with those two steels.
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Ok, and who is making a Damascus composed of S90V and Magnacut? You of all people should know what most of the Damascus on the market is composed of.
 
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