Dull damascus blade solutions

cz375hh

cz375hh

Joined
May 16, 2009
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I have some Damascus blades that are dull and in their present state have very little contrast between the metals. Yes I did buy them on E-bay, maybe a lesson here for me. My planned entry into knives is to play with handle materials and designs and progress from there and save the, do the hot metal dance and proudly display the burn marks on my arms for last. If verbal chastisement is needed then let me have it, but afterward some advice on how to spruce up the blades would be appreciated....Steve
 
Do you know what steels the Damascus blades are made of?

The usual method is an etch with acid - Ferric Chloride. There are tutorials you can find with a google search.
 
You could try hand rubbing them up to 600 or 1000 grit with NO scratches, cleaning them off very well with dawn detergent and water, and etching them for a few minutes in dilute ferric chloride. Ferric can be found on e-bay, and maybe some radio shack stores will still have it although it is a discontinued item. Pull it out after a minute or two, wipe the gray crud off the surface with a sponge, look at the pattern, etch again if not satisfactory. If you cannot achive much contrast this way, try to etch until the blade shows a little relief between the layers, then gun blue it and lightly sand again with 1000 grit paper on a flat backing. This should take the bluing off of the high spots and leave it in the low spots, accentuating the pattern.
 
Take a look at the finishing section of my website for some suggestions on how to finish those blades.

I will say though that unless it's from a known reputable dealer, ebay is a bad place to go hunting for damascus. Do you know what steels are in it? If not, how do you expect to heat treat it?

Let us know how it goes.

-d
 
Thanks for the suggestions-I went back through my purchases on E-Bay and I must have purchased it awhile back in time because I no longer have a record of the blade. It looks like trial and error with the suggestions that you gave. thank-you for your help..Steve
 
I just looked at your site-- very helpful and professionally done--I will start to give the Radio Shack's in the area a try----Thanks again Steve
 
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