Has anyone done a comparison etch on 1084, 15N20 and Wolfram Special?

[Matt Snape]

I have stocks of the three steels above and wondering how they might work together in a pattern weld. Has anyone done a forge weld and etch with these three steels? I was wondering what type of contrast you are likely to get between the Wolfram and the other two.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I haven't made any damascus from those three together, but would expect the 1084 will etch dark, the Wolfram special will be a tiny bit lighter, and the 15N20 will make the brightest look. The Wolfram and 1084 may be hard to differentiate.
As for depth of etch, I expect the 1084 will etch the deepest, followed by the Wolfram, and the 15N20 having the least depth of etch. Again, the 1084 and wolfram may be nearly the same.

I would suggest making two-metal damascus (100-200 layers) from the 15N20 and 1084 and putting them on the sides of a Wolfram special core to make suminagashi san-mai. That will create a blade with a wicked sharp and hard edge and wonderful looking bevels. The bonus is that it will also make a faux-hamon look to the junction of the cladding and core. Add a strip of .010 pure nickel between the suminagashi and the wolfram on each side and the hamon look will be even more impressive.

 

[Matt Snape]

I haven't made any damascus from those three together, but would expect the 1084 will etch dark, the Wolfram special will be a tiny bit lighter, and the 15N20 will make the brightest look. The Wolfram and 1084 may be hard to differentiate.
As for depth of etch, I expect the 1084 will etch the deepest, followed by the Wolfram, and the 15N20 having the least depth of etch. Again, the 1084 and wolfram may be nearly the same.

I would suggest making two-metal damascus (100-200 layers) from the 15N20 and 1084 and putting them on the sides of a Wolfram special core to make suminagashi san-mai. That will create a blade with a wicked sharp and hard edge and wonderful looking bevels. The bonus is that it will also make a faux-hamon look to the junction of the cladding and core. Add a strip of .010 pure nickel between the suminagashi and the wolfram on each side and the hamon look will be even more impressive.

Thank you Stacy, excellent suggestion and very much appreciated. I hope you have had an wonderful Xmas!