How much to forge raindrop Damascus?

L

Leon Husock

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Jul 17, 2019
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I just finished out some raindrop Damascus in crushed Ws and it looks good, but I find the pattern fades out a bit towards the edge. When it comes to stuff like raindrop and ladder pattern (the drilled/ground in varieties at least), is it better not to forge the bevels and just stop forging once you've got the profile forged? Or is this more likely a case of where my holes were drilled and how deeply I drilled them?
 
Leon Husock said:
When it comes to stuff like raindrop and ladder pattern (the drilled/ground in varieties at least), is it better not to forge the bevels and just stop forging once you've got the profile forged?
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In my experience, it depends on exactly what you are looking for.
If you're looking for the 'raindrops' to look uniform throughout the entire blade, including the bevels, this is going to be tough to do. You're correct in thinking that you'll need to do something different on the bevels compared to the flat of the spine (drill holes/cut ladder steps a little deeper deeper, forge less or more, minimize drawing out the steel in one direction more than the other, etc) to compensate for change in pattern as you get to the thinner metal towards the edge as you forge/grind the bevels.

Unfortunately, a big part of the answer is going to be your forging ability, accuracy of hammer blows and ability to move steel, and in my experience teaching blacksmithing, this isn't something that can be described, only witnessed.

The best way to answer this (and probably the most expensive but also most fun way) is for you to try your different techniques out of one billet and see what gives you the final product you are looking for.
 
DevinT said:
It could be several factors. A picture would help.

Are you using a press?

Hoss
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Yeah, I'm using one of the Coal Ironworks 12 ton presses. I drilled the holes and then forged down on the press with flat dies until they were almost completely gone, then finished forging them down with a hammer in the process of making the knife. It can be hard to get much pressing done in the middle of a bar with flat dies on the 12 ton once it gets thin-ish.
 
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