Damascus steel strength/durability

[jmclfrsh]

Pardon the question but I knew this was the best place to get an honest answer.

I am considering getting a knife made with Damascus steel. Is Damascus (this is made in Alabama by a reputable firm) steel less tough than say 3V or 80CRV2? I would think that as it is layered it would be pretty tough but you guys would know a lot better than I!

I ask ask because I don't baton usually, but I also don't want to ruin the knife if I needed to do it in a pinch. If I got stuck out in the middle of somewhere and built a fire, I'd hate to have it break on me.Then I'd be screwed.

Thank you for your insight, it is very much appreciated.

 

[shqxk]

Well made Damascus with proper HT is as good as a good mono steel. For instance, Damascus properly made of 15N20 and 1084 will have the toughness and edge holding of these 2 steel combined divided by 2.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

"Well made Damascus with proper HT is as good as a good mono steel. For instance, Damascus properly made of 15N20 and 1084 will have the toughness and edge holding of these 2 steel combined divided by 2. "

That isn't exactly true. The process of making the damascus and working the steel will slightly alter the metal. If well made, the blade will be strong and sharp, but on a metallurgical scale it would test ever so slightly less than if a mono steel was used. In some cases, it may test considerably below a mono-steel. It would all depend on the steel mix, the use of any nickel between layers, and the skill of the smith.

As to performance, damascus can be very good, but will not be the exact same as a mono-steel blade. The layering is for looks, not performance.

The attributes of the steels used would also not be combined and divided by 2. If you took a very tough steel and a very brittle steel, you would not get a mid-range tough steel with mid-range brittleness. The carbon will migrate/diffuse as the steel is worked and both steels will be affected. The alloying will not move around the same as the carbon does. To what degree the carbon content varies throughout the layers will be impossible to know, but it will vary.


Comparing a damascus blade to 3V is apples and oranges. The 3V mono-steel blade would be far tougher.

I know the guys at Alabama Damascus, and they are good fellows. They make a good product at a lower price point, but it is far from the best damascus around. Nothing wrong with it normally, but it is middle of the road at best, and not on any scale in comparison to a mono-steel in 3V or 80CrV. Guys like Devin Thomas ( Devin T. here on BF) make a much better grade of damascus. There are a lot of other BF members who specialize in making damascus.

If you were going to need a rough use knife, the damascus blade would not be the choice. The 3V or 80CrV blade would be much better choice. If you want a hip companion to wear when hunting, and for general use, then a well made damascus knife would be fine.

 

[Cody Hofsommer]

Stacy is right on as usual. The only thing I'll add is that if the edge geometry is proper, I would have no problem batonning with Damascus. I do with mine and lots of good makers do to test the knives.

 

[jdm61]

A number of years ago before the days of CPM M4 and Vanadis 4E "racing knives" and sponsorships, when the ABS cutting competition was a fun event for blade smiths, Jerry Fisk apparently asked Kevin Cashen to make a damascus cutting comp knife for a hammer in contest to show that damascus blades could be pretty tough too. Mr. Cashen made a blade of his 01/L6 damascus and proceeded to win the contest. Your mileage may vary. I wold say that heat treated properly, the Alabama stuff has the potential to be fairly tough strictly because of the raw materials used. The only "issue" that I see is that in order to properly harden the 5160 "portion" of the steel, you can probaly not use the ideal "toughness seeking" lower austenizing temp for the 52100 "component." But I may be splitting hairs.