David,
Although there are many different ways of making any pattern, the two basic types of ladder damascus are:
1) to
forge in the grooves, either with a set of dies or by some other means, then to
grind the billet flat, and stock remove the blade,
and,
2)to
grind in the grooves, as Stacy says, usually with a thin wheel, say 1/8th", then
forge the blade to shape.
The ladder pattern will have characteristic differences depending on which primary method is chosen.
For hard core forge-to-shape fans, a variation of #2 is to forge a pre-form of the blade with bevels. This is done thicker, narrower, and shorter than the finished blade, then grind in the grooves, then forge to shape. The exact thicknesses, grinding depths, and forging are critical, but the finished pattern is quite nice...
here's an old one with a pre-form, ground in grooves, and forged to shape after, (the pre-form was about 5/16th at the spine, 3/16ths at the edge, grooves about 1/16 inch deep, 1/8th apart, with a 1/8th cut-off wheel. The form was about 2/3rds as wide as the finished blade, and about an inch shorter. there was a ricasso in the pre-form, grooved like the blade.)
In any case, the key is:
forge then
grind, or
grind then
forge.
Maybe someone will add photos of a blade with forged in grooves and ground to shape?
John
