damascus knife

P

pressure_welder

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Oct 12, 2013
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Good afternoon hope all is well,

First off id like to say that I have a great amount of respect for all of you craftsmen who make these knives! it is truly an amazing talent. Iam a high pressure piping welder at a generating station here in Canada, and knife making has always sparked my interest but finally Ive decided to try my hand at making a Damascus hunting knife for my father inlaw for Christmas, and if this works out ill try my hand at some Damascus filleting knives for myself/father/brother. I do have a lot of patients so filing/sanding taking my time will not be an issue. I think for starters ill be trying cable Damascus as it is readily available in our shop and ive heard its better for beginners?. I most certainly don't want to cut corners, but I was wondering if making a box out of fire brick and using a rose bud torch tip elevated above the work piece would work well enough for a forge (for now), I have a fairly diverse knowledge of steels/heat treating etc so I am fairly confident in that regard. I believe for the first knife ill just make the billet and draw out my knife design and cut it out rather than forge it until I become more confident. I think if things go well enough ill make my own quality forge. Any tips would be great!
 
Moved. Custom & Handmade is more of a collector's forum, for the finished knives of experienced makers.
 
Making knives from damascus is fun. Others may try to tell you to wait until you've develop skills with monosteel, but I say go with what ignites your passion.

I started off making damascus blades too. Admittedly, my first efforts were not that great. Some would say the same applies to my last efforts. That aside, I really enjoy working with damascus and watching the patterns emerge once the shaping and crafting are done. It's like magic and art rolled into one.

Have fun. Others can answer your heat treat question. The answer is no, by the way... by someone with more skills will give you a more nuanced answer.

- Greg
 
The rosebud won't work very well, but a venturi burner is pretty easy to make, or a blown burner.

If you don't forge out the blade the patter will just run off the end of the blade.
 
Cable Damascus can be quite tricky to forge weld as it has a tendency to unravel or blow apart. I have been told that forging to shape is best done near welding heat as well. Be very sure that the cable is not galvanized before you heat it as the zinc is extremely toxic. I am right on the Manitoba Saskatchewan border so depending where you are located I have a forge and anvils and may be able to help out a bit.
 
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