Damascus steel knife

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
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Sorry to start a new thread but I can't seem to get search to work. Could someone please send me a link to how to make a damascus knife? HT info also would be helpful along with whether I should even attempt a damascus blade in my first year of knife making. Thanks. Steve
 
It's so much easier if you can visit a shop set up to make it.

What do you have for forging? [press, power hammer, hammer & anvil]

Takes a LOT of work by hand.
 
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Deweyknives said:
It's so much easier if you can visit a shop set up to make it.

What do you have for forging? [press, power hammer, hammer & anvil]

Takes a LOT of work by hand.
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Thanks - so far I have not forged any blanks, I get 1084 steel from Aldo, do stock removal grinding it on a Sears 2x42 and heat treat myself. I had been using an improvised forge for HT but now have a propane forge from Majestic.
A friend wanted to know if I could make him a Damascus steel blade and that is what started all this. I would just buy a damascus steel blank on line and do what I have been doing all along if that is even a reasonable plan given my equipment and experience level. Thanks again.
 
The HT for Alabama Damascus is almost identical to 1084 accoriding to the instructions on their website. Get ya a billet from them and work it just like your 1084.
 
Horsewright said:
The HT for Alabama Damascus is almost identical to 1084 accoriding to the instructions on their website. Get ya a billet from them and work it just like your 1084.
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Wow - thanks for that Horsewright. I'm really leaning toward doing just that. But before I pull the trigger on a $184 piece of steel which is 15" long or two knives worth, I see that the same vendor has already cut out damascus blanks for $50 or so as compared to $90 per knife if I buy the billet. There must be a catch - like the blanks are of lesser quality than the billet or something. Plus if I buy a cut out blank then I have not truly made the knife when it is all done. Any opinion about the blanks vs the billets? Thanks so much.
 
The blanks and the billets from ADS are one in the same.I have talked to the guy that runs the web page,the info came from him.Sometimes they have what is left of the billet after cutting the blanks .If you are comfortable with cutting your own blank,then do so.
 
I make small knives for the most part but I usually get 7-8 blades out of one of their billets. I'm currently working on a bowie (13" oal) which is a big blade for me and I got 4 other blades out of that billet in range from 7"oal to 5.25". Their billets are pretty wide at 3". Jantz sells their 1/8" billets for $129.00. The advantage to buying directly from the good folks (and they are) at AD is that their website shows the individual piece. This comes in handy so your customer can pic a piece if they are particular about the pattern. Like this chef's knife. I emailed the customer several links from their website and this is the bllet he picked. So made this big chef's knife for him, a Santuko for my wife, 2 of these little guys in the second pic which I sold, and one of the third pic which I kept for myself. This billet was closer to 18" if I remember, so was a little more pricey than what I get from Jantz usually but the two little stag handled knives made up for it. Plus made a little knife for myself which I hadn't done in years.

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Putting all these knife shapes on one piece of steel can lead to some colorful lanquage while at the bandsaw but it can be done to maximize your yield out of a billet.
 
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