Damascus question

jwesthurl

jwesthurl

Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Messages
430
I've been thinking of making my first Damascus knife and I was wondering if there are any lower cost makers or suppliers that are recommended. Or are there patterns to look for that typically cost less than others? I know good Damascus is a lot of work and not cheap but I have a small budget and I've been saving my pennies to hopefully purchase a real grinder so I'm trying to figure out if I can fit a billet of Damascus in there somewhere. I know to stay away from the overseas stuff, but I've seen conflicting info on other sources in searching the forums. Any advice would be appreciated.
Josh
 
I just ordered a billet on ebay and I'm happy with it. It cut and filed good and heat treated today easily. I have not put an edge on it yet though. It's from a knife supply and shipped from the states. It was 30$. The seller I got mine from was somethin van helsing.
 
Alabama Damascus is about as cheap as I would go, assuming that you are planning to make a knife that actually cuts. :D
 
I kind of figured that Alabama Damascus would probably be the lowest cost but I've read conflicting things on the quality. I may have to just wait until I can afford a piece where I won't have to worry about wasting my time or money.
 
Alabama Damascus is my recommendation. I've had no problems with the quality. If you find an inclusion in the steel they will replace it for you. If you take time to heat treat it properly and thermal cycle it you will get a nice blade.

 
I also recommend Alabama Damascus. I've had good luck with their damascus. I like their Alabama buckshot and redneck patterns. Here are 2 from their steel.
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I know of one guy who had a piece of Alabama damascus that wouldn't harden properly, but from what I have seen and heard, Brad would replace something like that. I saw a lot of known makers buying it at the Lakeland, florida show the cupel of times I have been there.
 
Alabama damascus is around $2.50/square inch for ~0.100" thick stock. HHH and Zoe Christ are around $8/sq inch or so.
 
I didn't want to be so forward as to mention that if you want to spend more, there are a fair number of us on the forum that can help you. :D I think that mine would end up big somewhere in between because I don't typically make stock that thin except for when I made a damascus guy and even then, there was a fair bit of grinding after the fact. :D If asked, would typically do my price calculations starting with say .187 or .250 thick MOL and 1.5 inches wide. The price difference for fancyier patterns gong to be more for the small time maker. if I want to make a typical stack for a billet of 6 x 1.5 by up to 3 tall, I am looking at using at least $50 of 1084 or 1095 and 15N20. Do that with O1 and L6, you are talking at least $75. the more complex the pattern, the less steel you have at the end because a lot is going to end up on the floor of your shop or in your waste bucket.
Brian.Evans said:
Alabama damascus is around $2.50/square inch for ~0.100" thick stock. HHH and Zoe Christ are around $8/sq inch or so.
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That's kind of why I asked! I don't even know who all offers it for sale and most of what I've found is either questionably low end or astronomically priced for someone like me. When I'm able, I may just start with a bar of Alabama and see how it goes. Don't get me wrong, I would be willing to pay for quality, especially when I know how much work goes into such beautiful steel but being willing and being able are two different things😉
 
jwesthurl said:
That's kind of why I asked! I don't even know who all offers it for sale and most of what I've found is either questionably low end or astronomically priced for someone like me. When I'm able, I may just start with a bar of Alabama and see how it goes. Don't get me wrong, I would be willing to pay for quality, especially when I know how much work goes into such beautiful steel but being willing and being able are two different things��
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Compared to years past, it is a buyers market. Think about this. Zoe and Randy Jr. form HHH make VERy fine products and yet their prices stat at $8 a sq inch for the thinner stuff. Lets put that in perspective. IIRC from reading in the mags back then, In the mid to late 70s when there were still very few guys making damascus, the price for say a Moran knife or a Bagwell bowie in random pattern was calculated at about $10 a blade inch cost above and beyond what the rest of the work cost in plain carbon steel. That was when the average price for a car was under $4000!!! As a tock removal guy, the problem you run into is waste. You can't forge the blade to the shape that you want, so you have to bu a piece that is as side as the widest portion of your blade, which is usually gong the "guard" area and at the butt. If you are doing say a simple bushcraft bald where the blade and but are the widest part, no prob. But if you want the handle to have some drop at he butt or you want to do some kind of guard, then you need to go a bit wider. In my case, If say I want to do a hidden tang bowie bald in ladder pattern, I can actually forge the whole blade to fairly close to finished shape, but say 50% thicker than I want it to be and a bit short. When I press the ladders, the blade stretches at bit and then I grind off the ridges and voila. the ridges that I grind away are waster, But I have to do that whether I make blade or a flat bar. What I save is what I would have to grind away form the tang, point and riches/choil.
 
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Competition is always good for the buyer! Now if someone could explain how a guy can sell damascus knives with fossil ivory handles and other exotic materials for under 200. Is that just competition too, lol? With Damascus prices or the work that goes into Damascus plus exotic materials and all the labor...it can't be worth it.
 
Where did you see such a knife? Normally I would either say that it came from Pakistan or the guy is a hobbyist who isn't even worried about covering his material cost.
jwesthurl said:
Competition is always good for the buyer! Now if someone could explain how a guy can sell damascus knives with fossil ivory handles and other exotic materials for under 200. Is that just competition too, lol? With Damascus prices or the work that goes into Damascus plus exotic materials and all the labor...it can't be worth it.
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I bought some Indian damascus off of ebay . The welds are good, except one inclusion, but the steel is only rc55 right out of a brine quench, and I had to go up to 1550f to even get it into the 50s. I spent a day playing with different heat treats, but no luck. Just not enough carbon. I'm using it for guards and such. It looks good, but not knife blade material. I know another used got a bar that got into the 60s, but I suspect it would be hit or miss.
 
The damascus that I referred to earlier states it's 1084 and 15n20. They say if you encounter an inclusion and can't work around it they'll replace it. I'm pretty happy with it so far. Did an initial etch on it today and it's coming out well.
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