Newbie here,who sells good damascus slabs for blanks?Getting into knifemaking.Advise?

Z

Zemapeli

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Jan 26, 2013
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I am thinking about getting into knife making, but am a newbie. Could anyone advise me on who sells good Damascus slabs for blanks? I am looking for a piece of Damascus about 7 inches long for a blank to grind into a combat knife. However, I don't have lots of money to spend on this. I am not sure about the costs of the blanks/billets.. I am buying a drill press and milling vise from harbor freight in the next week and making an angle jig for grinds out of acrylic or wood. I will be buying a knife maker level membership on this forum to possibly sell this knife. I have been a member here since 01-26-2013, so I have a basic knowledge of knife making. I've wanted to get a knife maker membership here for some time, as well as give knife making a try for quite a while now. I could use some advise/help on tempering and grinding if some of you folks here would be kind enough to share some of your knowledge with me. I will be trying to grind a knife to look a lot like the 1219 C2 combat knife (Much like the Kabar 1217 but with a wider tang) I am not sure if there is a place I can send my knife to be heat treated, or if I will have to buy equipment for that. Thanks all.
-Nicholas
1219C_zpskqzku4yf.jpg
 
Trust me on this, dont start with damascus. A good Damascus billet runs around 100-250 dollars. 4 feet of 1084 is about 15. And you're first knife is not going to be very good. Its a sad truth.
And you probably wont be selling the first knife.

Take a look in the for sale threads and see the quality there. The simple fact is that takes years. 1084 is a great simple steel, but if you want stainless and plan on sending out for heat treat use AEB-L.
 
I am pretty confident in my abilities as a newbie grinder. I have an old craftsman 4 inch belt sander and will be making an angle grinding jig. I keep an angle pretty well. My lines are clean and I will be buying a milling vise and depth gauge for the fuller. I was planning on practicing on a few aluminum breaker bars before I ground the actual knife. They might make some nice trainers. My price range is about 40-50 dollars. I thought a billet was a block, not a slab of Damascus?? I might be wrong there. It was probably good advice to grind a few knives on a cheaper steal first though thinking on it. I would also need some sort of etchant. I was thinking about using a phosphoric acid to etch the steel, but there is probably about ten better ways of etching out there that I don't know about. I don't want to use PCBs, I know that some folks use PCB etchant for makers marks or to keep lettering after stripping finish and using 1500-2000grit wet dry and polish.. I know that much. For finishing I am planning on using a cloth buffer and flitz or some other product. I have heard of using a grinder and Sisal string, and Muslin wheel. I am guessing the knife is hand rubbed and finished to keep the lines as nice as possible? Thanks
 
Greenberg Woods said:
Trust me on this, dont start with damascus. A good Damascus billet runs around 100-250 dollars. 4 feet of 1084 is about 15. And you're first knife is not going to be very good. Its a sad truth.
And you probably wont be selling the first knife.

Take a look in the for sale threads and see the quality there. The simple fact is that takes years. 1084 is a great simple steel, but if you want stainless and plan on sending out for heat treat use AEB-L.
Click to expand...

Would you happen to know of a good materials dealer that sells good raindrop Damascus or patterned Damascus or 1084?
 
Well any mono steel or even san Mai i get every last bit of it from Aldo at new Jersey steel barron.

Alabama Damascus would be the guys for your Damascus stock, but like I said, everyone overestimates themselves before their first knife.
 
Alpha Knife Supply has rain drop,and the best part is it's from Devon Thomas.(the really good stuff).Cool knife drawing BTW.
 
It's not my drawing, just one blueprint I found on the net. The 1219 C2 design was put into production November 23, 1943 and reached troops on the front lines within months. A few companies were contracted including Camillus, Kabar, Robeson-ShurEdge and PAL. This one looks like Kabar's blueprint. Interesting stuff. I would have to draw one up.
 
Greenberg Woods said:
Well any mono steel or even san Mai i get every last bit of it from Aldo at new Jersey steel barron.

Alabama Damascus would be the guys for your Damascus stock, but like I said, everyone overestimates themselves before their first knife.
Click to expand...
Overestimate indeed. I am pretty crafty and my first one was frankly, a turd.
 
Hi Zem,

You can do anything you want but many here have to much of a conscious to support you using expensive Damascus for your first knife.

Honestly it is really an expensive mistake.

If you plan on making more then 1 knife, don't make the damascus one the first. Hone your skills and experience on some steel that will perform better then the damascus but costs much less.
 
Some good advice here. Start with a simple mono steel and work your way up.

As far as grinding aluminum goes, if you decide to do it, make sure all of the aluminum dust is cleaned up before you start to grind steel. Aluminum and steel dust combined with heat (sparks), can cause a fire.
 
Yea, aluminum is a bad choice. Its a really sticky grinding metal that really clogs up belts. Plain old mild steel would be a better choice
 
If damascus is what you want then go for it. Folks are just trying to save you some hard earned money and heartache. I have built everything from hot rods to fine furniture and I threw my first 10-15 blades in the trash. It really is tough. You probably won't find good damascus for $50 but if you just want the look and are not worried about edge retention and stuff like that you can find some cheap stuff on ebay. Alabama damascus, which is good damascus, is anywhere from $120 and up. I tried the whole jig/sled thing and as bad as I was freehand, I was worse with it! Take your time and make it right. Do you have a mill for the fuller or just a drill press? I'm not sure a drill press and milling vise is going to work. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Mirror polished damascus on a K-bar fighting knife,now we're talking.I like the way this guy thinks.You just don't see a lot of that nowadays.
 
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