Jigsaw and reciprocating saw blades in canister damascus?

L

Leon Husock

Joined
Jul 17, 2019
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319
Is there any reason not to use these? I have a bunch of old ones sitting around. Obviously they all have some kind of paint or coating I'd clean off first. The only reason I can think not to use them is that whatever steel they're made of (I'm guessing some kind of HSS) might need such a radically different heat treat from the 1095 powder that the finished product would tear itself apart in the quench. What do you guys think?
 
I would not use them. You want to use steels that can be hardened under the normal damascus regime. Stay with more basic carbon steels.
Ball bearings, motorcycle chain, chainsaw blades, barbed wire, springs,flooring and concrete nails, tacks, nuts and bolts, etc.
Avoid things made from high alloy (like HSS) steels - Drill bits, jigsaw/hacksaw blades. etc.
 
Ah, well, I had a feeling that would be the case. More ball-bearing canisters it is! Thanks for the help.
 
I recall a fellow who used ball bearings and old drill bits to make his damascus. It looked cool, but the places with the drill bits at the edge didn't hold up right.
You can always give it a try and see what your results are.
 
There are certainly Carbon steel jigsaw (sabre saw) blades made for use on wood, and they are not just the cheap ones. I use the Bosch T234X blades quite often and they are High Carbon Steel, as are all the cheaper versions of that blade pattern I've tried. I would expect them to be ok in canister scrapmascus. I'm pretty sure a lot of sawzall blades intended for pruning and/or "clean" wood are high Carbon steel too.

The blades for metal, or for wood with nails in, are almost certain to be HSS, at least at the cutting edge.
 
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