damascus guard hardness for gold inlay?

PaulDiStefano

PaulDiStefano

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Nov 14, 2016
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Hey everyone, i was planning to do a gold inlay into a damscus guard but I am unsure of how much to temper the guard back after hardening so that it is able to be cut by the graver easily. I have never made damascus or done an inlay yet. The damascus will be 1095 and 15n20.
I am also using a hammer and hand held graver.
thanks guys,
Paul DiStefano
 
Cutting anything above 50 hrc is a nightmare in my experience...doable with carbide gravers but you'll be sharpening a lot. I've heard "dubbing" the point can help a bit.

Most people recommend to engrave before hardening and use a coating to reduce/prevent scale during the process.

~Chip
 
WValtakis said:
Cutting anything above 50 hrc is a nightmare in my experience...doable with carbide gravers but you'll be sharpening a lot. I've heard "dubbing" the point can help a bit.

Most people recommend to engrave before hardening and use a coating to reduce/prevent scale during the process.

~Chip
Click to expand...
thanks for the quick response. So i was wondering about just cutting before I heat treated. That means do the gold inlay after correct?
 
So here's another question. What Rockwell hardness should Damascus fittings be? If using 1095 and 15n20
 
I wouldn't think it would matter. The guard doesn't need to be hard at all.
 
It should effect it. If damascus is unhardened from what i've heard/seen it will be blurry and fuzzy and not crisp. I was curious on what people usually temper it to and if tempering very low will affect how crisp and clear it etches.
 
Probably. I'm not a fan of damascus steel, so I don't know the nuances of using it.
 
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