Stainless Steel Damascus

[good]

I"ve Been Making Carbon Damascus Gong On Five Years And Thought I Might Try My Hand At Some Stainless. I'm Looking For Info On What The Best Type Of Stainless To Use In My Billet. I Do Have A Press And A Power Hamer. I've Always Used A Coke Fire To Weld My Carbon Billets And So Far Been Successful. Dont Know If Stainless Will Require Propane Or If I Can Weld In The Coke Much The Same Way. Anyone With Info That Might Help Me Or Knows Where To Send Me To Find The Answers, I Thank You In Advance

 

[Chuck Gedraitis Knives]

You Will need something hotter than a coke forge. The chromium oxides formed on the surface have a melting point which is higher than the melting point of steel.

As a result stainless damascus is particularly difficult to make. It turns out the trick is to encapsulate the billet to exclude air and prevent oxidation. A tiny hole is left in the capsule to vent excess pressure. Somemakers use 440C, D-2 or AEB-L and 304.

 

[delbert ealy]

You Will need something hotter than a coke forge. The chromium oxides formed on the surface have a melting point which is higher than the melting point of steel.

Chuck,
Hotter than a coke forge? Like what, a nuclear forge?
Coke can produce a fire that is plenty hot enough to melt steel including those nasty chrome oxides you mentioned.

A propane forge is cleaner and easier to use than your coke forge, but what you have should work, you need nice even heat and good soak times to weld stainless. I have done it myself(in a propane forge.) The problem I ran into was not enough power to move the stainless once it was fused. You will need to protect the outside of your billet from exposure to air, fluxing it with borax won't work.
Thanks,
Del