Anyone deal with Alabama Damacus??

G

groy87

Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
155
I saw that Alabama Damascus provides blade blanks in addition to damascus billets. Has anyone used their material before? I'm curious if anyone knows about the quality of their steel.
 
I have used their billets and a couple of ground and hardened blades. it is good stuff. if you get the billet or unhardened blade he supplies the ht info, or at least he did. Kershaw uses it for their Damascus according to dave andersons website.
 
Most people seem to be pleased with it. I have heard a couple of stories about some of it not being up to snuff, but as far as I know, Brad will replace any material that is not up to spec. The consensus seems to be that it is probably the least expensive damascus that you should actually consider buying. Nothing fancy but it works as advertised.
 
I would say that I have had a 20% bad weld rate show up. That isn't as bad as it sounds considering the low price. I probably have a bad weld rate that high on the stuff I make myself.

Brad and the fellows will also replace any bad bar at no cost and with no questions. Once a year I see him and I tell him what size and type bars were bad .... and he hands me new bars. Is it annoying to partially grind a blade and have to junk it - yes, but their customer service is great, and the price is low.

I find the random has the biggest problems and the twist the best.
 
I got the buckshot pattern billet in about a .150" x 18" x 3" and it was good except one edge had a slight delamination but it didn't go but maybe a 1/8" in and then was fine.


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I live about 12-14 miles from Alabama Damascus. I have visited their shop numerous times and watched their production process.

Could it be better?.....Certainly, just as our individual processes could improve. I can say this...... Brad Vice is the genuine "real-deal". You won't find an individual anywhere that cares about his customers and friends any more than he does.

Any time you are producing a damascus product on the scale that he does, you are going to, occasionally, have a few that may show signs of delamination, or cold-shuts. It's just the nature of the game.

Although it can be disheartening to almost finish a blade, then find a problem............ Help is just a phone call or email away. He will "Make-It-Right", and no questions asked.

A good man for sure.
 
Brad is a good guy for sure and you have hit on a good point. They have to produce a LOT of material and probably don't have the time to do a lot of the overly anal retentive steps that we might do when forging our own steel. I have had maybe 1 cold shut in the last 3 years, but it takes me at least a full day to convert a 1.5 x 3 x 6 stack of 1084 and 15N20 into something useful and longer if I am trying to do something fancy like a Ferry flip billet.
Robert Dark said:
I live about 12-14 miles from Alabama Damascus. I have visited their shop numerous times and watched their production process.

Could it be better?.....Certainly, just as our individual processes could improve. I can say this...... Brad Vice is the genuine "real-deal". You won't find an individual anywhere that cares about his customers and friends any more than he does.

Any time you are producing a damascus product on the scale that he does, you are going to, occasionally, have a few that may show signs of delamination, or cold-shuts. It's just the nature of the game.

Although it can be disheartening to almost finish a blade, then find a problem............ Help is just a phone call or email away. He will "Make-It-Right", and no questions asked.

A good man for sure.
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