"mild" steel Damascus?

M

Mike Dunn

Joined
Jun 11, 2020
Messages
3
Hi, this is my very 1st post on any forum so please forgive any mistakes I might be making!
I am a metal worker and my best friend is getting married in august. He asked if I can make metal canes for all the groomsmen. As much as I'd love to make them all out of 1085 and 15N20 I just cant afford that. But I do have a lot of mild steel scrap.
So I'm really hoping one of you might know of some less expensive steel that would still show the dark's and highlights of high carbon Damascus? I have been searching high and low of how different types of steels react in acid but I can't find diddly squat.
Please help!
 
Mike Dunn said:
Hi, this is my very 1st post on any forum so please forgive any mistakes I might be making!
I am a metal worker and my best friend is getting married in august. He asked if I can make metal canes for all the groomsmen. As much as I'd love to make them all out of 1085 and 15N20 I just cant afford that. But I do have a lot of mild steel scrap.
So I'm really hoping one of you might know of some less expensive steel that would still show the dark's and highlights of high carbon Damascus? I have been searching high and low of how different types of steels react in acid but I can't find diddly squat.
Please help!
Click to expand...
I don’t have a answer for you but have asked a moderator to move your Question to knife maker Shop Talk. Welcome & good luck!
 
If you put some nickel between each layer of mild steel, you'll get some contrast...

You might also get some wood canes, then make damascus handles for them. That would be cool, and a LOT lighter, cheaper and easier.
 
Admiral steel carries A203e nickel/carbon steel (for pressure vessels) it etches pretty cool on the downside people say it's prone to rust, I don't find it that bad. Maybe you could heat color some mild steel and coat it with clear or heat up the mild steel and coat it with tung oil it will blacken and protect it then wrap it with copper wire or something like that. Random ideas may be more than you asked for, but check out A203e.
 
The problem with mild steel is that it is so low carbon that it etches white, not dark.
 
For the amount of time and fuel you'll spend making damascus, why not get some wrought iron and forge cane heads out of that? Wrought shows beautiful grain when etched.
 
Somehow I think this project is going to end badly.

How much damascus steel have you made? What type of equipment do you have?

You should make wooden shafts with damascus ends, knobs and ferrules, or whatever the correct terms are.

Hoss
 
Gilbert M said:
Admiral steel carries A203e nickel/carbon steel (for pressure vessels) it etches pretty cool on the downside people say it's prone to rust, I don't find it that bad. Maybe you could heat color some mild steel and coat it with clear or heat up the mild steel and coat it with tung oil it will blacken and protect it then wrap it with copper wire or something like that. Random ideas may be more than you asked for, but check out A203e.
Click to expand...
I will look that up now! thanks
 
Tenebr0s said:
For the amount of time and fuel you'll spend making damascus, why not get some wrought iron and forge cane heads out of that? Wrought shows beautiful grain when etched.
Click to expand...
I like that idea I have just had trouble finding wrought iron stock.
 
So on the topic of wrought iron, how old do things have to be to reliably be wrought, rather than cast?
 
Mike Dunn said:
I like that idea I have just had trouble finding wrought iron stock.
Click to expand...

Look up hightemptools. He sells wrought iron anchor chain links, which would work nicely I should think for cane heads. Forge it HOT.

A.McPherson said:
So on the topic of wrought iron, how old do things have to be to reliably be wrought, rather than cast?
Click to expand...

I believe wrought iron stopped being produced in the mid-twentieth century. But it's not hard to determine whether something is wrought iron or not. Cut a sample piece about 2/3 of the way down and then hammer it to breaking. You'll see its "stringy" texture.

Edit: we ARE talking about wooden canes with metal heads, right? A solid iron cane would be ridiculous.

Edit2: the best etchant I have ever found for wrought iron is sodium bisulfate (sold as "ph minus"/"ph down" for lowering the ph of swimming pools). Dissolve as much as you can in hot water and etch the piece until you get the topography you want, then neutralize with baking soda solution. Wear eye protection and nitrile gloves. Do it outside; the fumes are not pleasant and probably quite bad for you. A very cool finish can be achieved by then blackening it with heat and wax or a cotton/silk rag, etc (look up blackmsmith's black finish). Then, shine the high spots with fine sandpaper.
 
Last edited:
Wrought iron was produced until steel completely replaced it around 1900. The Bessemer Process was developed in the latter 1800's which made it cheaper to make steel than wrought iron.

If any Virginia guys need a bit of WI I have lots of it. When the shop is up and running come over for a visit and take a piece home.
It makes really superb two-piece hawks. To keep all the metal in the proper era, I like to use old buggy/wagon springs for the bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top