damascus making Question

David Stifle

David Stifle

Joined
Nov 20, 2008
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10,188
Hi Guys,

Well, I'm finally going to take a crack at making some damascus. Just have a few questions. I have some 15N20 and 1080 steel. Does it matter how I stack it? 15N20 on the outside? Inside? What's the best way to get a good random pattern? Any and all advice is highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave
 
I like to put the 1080 on the outside and I think that the best random pattern is developed by a hand hammer.
 
I tend to put my 1080/1084/1095 on the outside, but only because it's thicker. Thin stock will have a tendency to warp out as it heats up and this can let a lot of crud get into your steel.

If you'll be hand hammering, you'll end up with a random pattern most likely. What causes the "randomness" in a random pattern is forging that isn't perfectly consistent. As you mash one area down more than another, the steel deforms and gives you some funkyness in the final product. This is due to the fact that the surface pattern is created by exposing different layers to the surface and inconsistent forging will create dips and waves in the steel as you work it that will allow for differing layers to show up at the surface.

Good luck and make sure to post pics of your project!

-d
 
I'm with Deker, thicker steel on the outside.

One way to 'enhance' a random pattern is to forge the blade over-sized in thickness (about twice the thickness of the finished blade), then proceed to batter it with blows from the edge of the hammer, the crosspein, or what ever is available that will leave good nasty dents. Work the entire piece over, both sides, then grind out the dents, and you will have a very interesting random pattern.

Or, if you want to do it backwards, forge the blade over-sized, then proceed to make deep cuts with an angle grinder (again, be inventive) all over both sides of the blade, then forge to final thickness and grind smooth.

It's basically like a ladder pattern, but done randomly... This works best with high layer counts, say 200+
 
I use 10xx on the outside of any billet with 15N20 in it. For whatever reason, 15N20 scales pretty badly, so putting it inside avoids problems.

Gene
 
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