Damascus Patterns

[Shann]

I understand at a most basic level "how" damascus is made, but how do you get a particular pattern? Thanks.

 

[DGG]

I understand at a most basic level "how" damascus is made, but how do you get a particular pattern? Thanks.

You buy it from someone like Devin Thomas who knows more about damascus than all the rest of us put together, IMHO.


http://www.devinthomas.com/pages/faq.html

I have a knife made by a Montana knifemaker named Mel Fassio.

Have you or anyone else ever seen giraffe damascus?

http://www.knifenetwork.com/classifieds/index.php?ct=pres_fld&md=details&id=1255

Another one of Mel Fassio's damascus fixed blades.

http://customknifegallery.com/fassio1f.html

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

I understand at a most basic level "how" damascus is made, but how do you get a particular pattern? Thanks.

You might want to ask in the knifemakers section- someone there might be able to tell you the basics of how it is forged into specific patterns.

 

[Larrin]

I understand at a most basic level "how" damascus is made, but how do you get a particular pattern? Thanks.

Which pattern did you want to know?

 

[Shann]

Which pattern did you want to know?

Actually, my question is even more basic than that. I was just wondering how you make any pattern. I think I know that the blade is etched to bring out the pattern, but is the pattern hammered into the steel or is some kind of template used to hammer in the pattern, etc.

 

[underaged!]

I'm not sure what you currently know but:

Damascus is made of two or more steels. It is usually layered then "forge welded", bladesmiths will then manipulate it (fold, twist, etc.) that makes the pattern. Later it's etched and that what makes the pattern visible.

The pattern can also be made by using different shapes of steel. People make it from chains, cables, I think some do it with ball bearings too.

You should search Ariel Salaverria's (sp) posts, he documents a lot of his work and shares it with us.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Here is a link to some useful info:

http://www.dfoggknives.com/damascus.htm

 

[madcap_magician]

I'm not sure what you currently know but:

Damascus is made of two or more steels. It is usually layered then "forge welded", bladesmiths will then manipulate it (fold, twist, etc.) that makes the pattern. Later it's etched and that what makes the pattern visible.

The pattern can also be made by using different shapes of steel. People make it from chains, cables, I think some do it with ball bearings too.

You should search Ariel Salaverria's (sp) posts, he documents a lot of his work and shares it with us.

Yeah, that ball bearing damascus is pretty amazing...

 

[Bastid]

I have heard of smiths who take 2 different colors of pay-dough or clay to experiment.

There are many techniques when it comes creating a damascus billet, but the basics are stacking the two billets of differnt steel together forging, welding, cutting, twisting, hammering (or pressing) and repeating. Any way you look at it, it is a time consuming process. Other techniques employ powdered metal rather than two or more billets. Don's and Devin's sites are great sources of more detailed information.