Damascus

[Matthewd]

Can someone point me towards a good reference for learning more about how the different damascus patterns are formed?

 

[BBQ BOY]

http://www.devinthomas.com/media.cfm
http://www.devinthomas.com/damascusSteel.cfm

 

[Haze]

Your best bet is to talk to a few makers and see what they do. It's not always that easy to find how a pattern is made but it's very easy to find examples of any pattern you can think of. Are there particular patterns you are interested in or are you just interested in general ?

 

[Matthewd]

Are there particular patterns you are interested in or are you just interested in general ?

I'm the type of guy that need to know how things are made - I understand how ladder patters are made, but Can't quite figure out how raindrop and other similar patterns are formed. So I guess I am interested in general how to make these patterns. Are there any good books on the subject?

 

[Deweyknives]

Raindrop is done similar to ladder. Instead of grooves cut the full width of the bar, drill random holes 1/3rd thru & bevel the edges. Do the same to the other side and continue forging, then grind flat.

Watch 'Shop Talk' and 'Customs & Handmade' subforums for How-To's & WIP's. Some of the greatest makers share how they do most everything.

 

[kreole]

This page has info on the techniques to make some patterns http://www.damasteel.com/production.html

 

[pmek5]

This is very interesting. I never have been drawn to the looks that much, but I have wondered how tough the finish is.

 

[kreole]

This is very interesting. I never have been drawn to the looks that much, but I have wondered how tough the finish is.

Real damascus like CRK uses is more than one steel mixed through the blade, then put in acid (ferric chloride, I think) to bring out the pattern. The darkened part can fade with use, but for like $10 you can get a bottle of pcb etchant from Radio Shack and darken it again. The pattern is a function of the weave of component steels, and the steels mix throughout the blade, so there's no chance of it going away so much that this won't fix it, i.e., of being gone for good, if that is the concern .

 

[Haze]

Damascus IS more than one steel, if it's just a bit of carbon steel folded over few times with the scale and dicarb to give a pattern it's not damascus. To get the pattern you do use an etchant like ferric chloride and it eats one of the steels faster than the other. This gives high points that can be hand rubbed to show the pattern. The high points will go silver the low points will stay black or dark. There is also other ways to polish the blade to show a patern but that is essentially how it's done.

One can go for a deep etch or a shallow etch depending on what suits the particular pattern. Here is an example of a both.......

Deep etch.

Shallow etch.

Real damascus like CRK uses is more than one steel mixed through the blade, then put in acid (ferric chloride, I think) to bring out the pattern. The darkened part can fade with use, but for like $10 you can get a bottle of pcb etchant from Radio Shack and darken it again. The pattern is a function of the weave of component steels, and the steels mix throughout the blade, so there's no chance of it going away so much that this won't fix it, i.e., of being gone for good, if that is the concern .

 

[kreole]

Damascus IS more than one steel, if it's just a bit of carbon steel folded over few times with the scale and dicarb to give a pattern it's not damascus. To get the pattern you do use an etchant like ferric chloride and it eats one of the steels faster than the other. This gives high points that can be hand rubbed to show the pattern. The high points will go silver the low points will stay black or dark. There is also other ways to polish the blade to show a patern but that is essentially how it's done.

One can go for a deep etch or a shallow etch depending on what suits the particular pattern. Here is an example of a both.......

Deep etch.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=236180&d=1318477236[/IMG

Shallow etch.
IMG]http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=236179&d=1318477226

I'm not sure what part of that is meant to contradict what I said, unless you're implying there's no such thing as fake damascus. Perhaps I should clarify that; some knives are called damascus when they're just acid etched blades of a single steel. That is what I meant by 'fake damascus'. It is sold as damascus, but like you, I wouldn't really say it is.

 

[Haze]

I wasn't trying to contradict you at all. My apologies if that post came across as condescending. I was just trying to help clarify that damscus is two steels mixed and that anything else is not. As you were. :thumbup:

I'm not sure what part of that is meant to contradict what I said, unless you're implying there's no such thing as fake damascus. Perhaps I should clarify that; some knives are called damascus when they're just acid etched blades of a single steel. That is what I meant by 'fake damascus'. It is sold as damascus, but like you, I wouldn't really say it is.

 

[Sigifrith]

Haze,
A bit more info on the 2nd picture please. Maybe a full length shot too.
Thanks

 

[Haze]

It's a Dave Lisch gents bowie in feather damascus. I don't know how appropriate posting pictures of other peopels work is in a manufacturer sub forum, but if you PM me your e-mail I can certainly send you a few pics. :thumbup:

Haze,
A bit more info on the 2nd picture please. Maybe a full length shot too.
Thanks