How can hollow ground Damascus still have ridges?

L

Lavan

Joined
Nov 8, 2000
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2,301
Just got an A.G. Russell gent's hunter with Darryl Meier Damascus and it is hollow grind. Now how can it have the ridges in the blade after being hollow ground?

:confused:
 
maybe because after it's been ground it'as been etched.

Or the different components take a diffierent finish due to their composition.

Whay don't you ask AG?
 
What does being hollow ground have to do with it??? :confused:

Pattern-welded steel is made of layers of two different steels forge-welded together. After it's etched it has a ridged appearance because the layers respond differently to the acid. The layers will still show whether it's ground flat, hollow, or convex.
 
Yes -- and by the way the pattern doesn't show until the blade is etched. If you sand or buff the blade you can make it disappear, but then you can etch it again and the pattern will come back. The pattern is all the way through the steel but it only shows after etching, and that's a surface treatment.
 
Kohai999 said:
What does that mean?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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My understanding, or possible mis-understanding is that Damascus steel was a multi layer folded steel, comprised of different steels, forged together as they were continually folded over themselves. That is what I thought created the patterns.
 
That is what creates the patterns and as Cougar says it doesn't show till it has been etched.
 
tim8557 said:
My understanding, or possible mis-understanding is that Damascus steel was a multi layer folded steel, comprised of different steels, forged together as they were continually folded over themselves. That is what I thought created the patterns.
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That is a very simplified description of how pattern welded damascus is made. Different patterns are made by manipulating the steel in different ways, not just by folding them over. When damascus is etched it is the different alloy content of the steels used that causes the steels to darken differently.
 
Most Damascus with good contrast usually has a nickle bearing ellement for the light bright steel and a simple carbon steel as the dark oxided component. Ferric Chloride removes more of the dark steel than the nickle bearing steel. This creates the ridge effect and it makes the nickle bearing component to be more apparent by exposing more of the material. Both steels are oxidized; the simple steel just reacts at a faster rate...Take Care...Ed
 
Sunraven said:
That is what creates the patterns and as Cougar says it doesn't show till it has been etched.
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It is but the different layers are brought out visually using an acid to "etch" the pattern in a visible way, like a patina, if i understand correctly.
 
darkestthicket said:
It is but the different layers are brought out visually using an acid to "etch" the pattern in a visible way, like a patina, if i understand correctly.
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The etch actually eats away the high carbon steel, leaving the stainless as raised ridges that you can see and easily feel. No quotation marks are necessary on the word "etch".
 
Blade in question:

phpD3RRIG.jpg
 
As a side note, if you get a piece of damascus that has not yet been etched, you can still see the pattern if you catch it in the right light. Of course, this still depends on how polished it is and some other things. This is especially easy with damascus using nickel, as nickel is more of a yellow color.
 
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