Interesting look on Damascus by Viktor Kuznetsov

nozh2002

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I found this two articles very interesting. It is in Russian unfortunately:

http://www.kuznec.com/svarka.htm

http://www.kuznec.com/otv_svarka.htm

My brief translation - Viktor Kuznetzow kind of overview damascus blades and states that with nice patterns and good looks it is usually not quite good in terms of cutting ability and strength. He researches this matter for a while and his conclusion is that in general if two steel involved it is always combine weakest features of components not strongest.

His conclusion is that combining different steels is wrong. Old blades as well as japnese katanas were made out of same steel and according to him pattern is because of joints between layers. He sad that usually wrong part of fire used for heating by smith - brightest one which is decarbonizing surface and darkest pat of the fire should be used instead - carbonizing. Also package of steel to weld by hammer should be covered by mix of high carbon sttel scrap-dust, glass (he suggested for the bottle of red wine from Chili - his faivorite) and "BURA" (mith chemical which I can not find in my dictionary). And steel should be same high carbon steel.

He challanging anybody who think differently about their amascus to compete with his steel by this test:

1. Stick tip deep in the wood and try to break it. If it is impossible proceed to 2.

2. Fix blade in the wise horizontally and hang on the knife. It should not break (little bending is OK)

3. Cut hanging newspaper.

4. Chop bone - should not be any chips.

5. Cut hanging newspaper again.

6. Cut felt.

7. Any test challenger can came up with.
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I am not an expert, but I found this ideas interesting and like to see your opinions.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
nozh2002 said:
1. Stick tip deep in the wood and try to break it. If it is impossible proceed to 2.

2. Fix blade in the wise horizontally and hang on the knife. It should not break (little bending is OK)

3. Cut hanging newspaper.

4. Chop bone - should not be any chips.

5. Cut hanging newspaper again.

6. Cut felt.

7. Any test challenger can came up with.

Kevin Cashen, and others have proposed that Damascus blades can compete performance wise with monosteel ones. You might want to drop him an email about this thread.

In regards to the tests, I would be surprised if you could not do this with a Damascus blade, 1/4" thick, no distal taper, edge set at 0.035", 20 degrees per side.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Kevin Cashen, and others have proposed that Damascus blades can compete performance wise with monosteel ones. You might want to drop him an email about this thread.

-Cliff
He is talking about damascus out of same steel and he sad with carbonization on joints between layers it will outperform monosteel blade - as it was in Persia, India and Samarcand old times.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
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