Damascus steel questions

[Bupton]

Hi,
Wondering if someone can tell me if Damascus steel must be made using two types of steel to get any patterns? E.g. could I use only high carbon steel?
Thanks Ben

 

[DougSeward]

You must use two or more alloys of steel, however they can both be high carbon. A common mix is 1084 (simple high carbon steel) and 15N20 (high carbon steel alloy with nickel. The 15N20 becomes the brighter steel in the mix as the nickel makes it more resistant to etching. -Doug

 

[A C Richards]

I did a low contrast billet for a traditional style Japanese look. It had some good looking pattern just had to really polish it right to see it. However using one simple carbon and one nickel bearing steel (as mentioned above) works great too. 1084 and 15n20 are two of the more popular combinations. O1 and L6 is another but more difficult to weld properly.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You can use only one steel and fold it many times. That is how the original steel called "damascus" was made. Each weld will have a slight oxide line. Tamahagane, which is the steel used to make traditional Japanese swords, is also just one steel folded many times. The pattern can be very subtle, or rather bold.

However, most modern damascus ( properly called "Pattern Welded Steel") is made from two steels that will have a contrast. O-1, 5160, 52100, and other chromium and/or nickel bearing steels will show up against simple steels like 1070/1084/1095. You want to try and match the HT ranges of the steels to make the mix work well for a blade. The standard learning mix is 1084 and 15N20.

 

[sunshadow]

Not to be difficult Stacy, but technically Tamahegane is a composite of different carbon content regions that are from the same bloom, so while it is from the same smelt, the master takes high and low carbon regions which looked at in isolation are different steels, then achieves virtual homogeneity through high layer count and carbon migration across weld zones



-Page

 

[A C Richards]

Carbon migration will be complete after the smith has finished forging. They select the different carbon contents from the bloom to arrive at the final carbon content they desire.

 

[sunshadow]

Carbon migration will be complete after the smith has finished forging. They select the different carbon contents from the bloom to arrive at the final carbon content they desire.

Absolutely! Carbon diffusion happens any time you are at forging temps (gotta love interstitial elements)

-Page

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The selected pieces are bundled together, forged into a solid bllet, and folded many times. It is the repeated folding that gives homogeneity and produces the hada...which is the wood grain or "damascus" look.