Heat coloring damascus

[physh]

A lot of Timascus is heat colored, and each alloy colors differently.

If you heat color damascus does each alloy color differently?

 

[Don Hanson III]

Yes, each alloy will color different. Not the best treatment for a blade, IMHO.

 

[SteelSlaver]

Here is what I have done with a few 1095/ nickel blades. Go ahead and do your gring and heat treat finish the blade off and get it polished up to the point you want. The get a piece of kaowool and soak in water then take the blades edge and place it into the wet wool and with a small propane torch start heating the spine more time close to the guard area than the tip as it will soak up more heat. You can see the spine go straw then start to blue thats when I move the blade into a waiting pan of water. Probably not the best thing in the world for the blade, but, it works you get some nice contrast between the silver nickel and the high carbon will be blue on the spine and lighten as you get near the edge. With 1095/nickel after you harden, and temper you can polish and then toss it back in the oven at 375- 400 and you will get some color. A golden straw to a interesting light yellowish purple. Here is an example of each