Steel Types

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gary74

Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
16
Hope this isn't too vague. What are the major advantages and disadvantages between carbon steels, tool steels, stainless steels, and any other steels used in blades?
 
Joe Talmadge's description of Damascus steel in the locked thread you linked is not correct. He is actually referring to Pattern welded "Damascened" steel. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel

REAL Damascus steel is a different beast:
http://www.crystalresearch.com/crt/ab40/905_a.pdf

Further discoveries:

New Scientist said:
Secret's out for Saracen sabres
Nov 2006

DURING the middle ages, the Muslims who fought crusaders with swords of Damascus steel had an edge - a very high-tech one. Their sabres contained carbon nanotubes.

From about AD 900 to AD 1750, Damascus sabres were forged from Indian steel called wootz. Peter Paufler of the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, and colleagues studied samples of a 17th-century sword under an electron microscope and found clear evidence of carbon nanotubes and even nanowires.

The researchers think that the sophisticated process of forging and annealing the steel formed the nanotubes and the nanowires, and could explain the amazing mechanical properties of the swords (Nature, vol 444, p 286).
From issue 2578 of New Scientist magazine, 15 November 2006, page 20
Click to expand...
 
bushtucker said:
Joe Talmadge's description of Damascus steel in the locked thread you linked is not correct. He is actually referring to Pattern welded "Damascened" steel. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel

REAL Damascus steel is a different beast:
http://www.crystalresearch.com/crt/ab40/905_a.pdf

Further discoveries:
Click to expand...

Look up the Damascus nanotube question in Nature. The nanotubes are postulated, not proven.

http://www.nature.com/news/2006/061113/full/061113-11.html

If you want to tell Joe Talmadge that he don't know what he's talking about be my guest. I'll just run, duck, and cover.

Joe's sticky is talking about steels that are commonly used in knives today. Wootz steels don't fit under that category. Pattern welded damascus steels do. And they are commonly known as Damascus steels. Go look at a knifemaker's catalog.
 
knarfeng, just because people commonly call pattern welded Damascened steels by the technically incorrect name of "Damascus steel" doesn't mean we should capitulate to that error.
 
I will second that the damascus steel blades are welded billets of multiple steels and acid etched, not the true ancient damascus steel which was an ultra steel. True old damascus was much more advanced than anything currently produced.
 
bushtucker said:
knarfeng, just because people commonly call pattern welded Damascened steels by the technically incorrect name of "Damascus steel" doesn't mean we should capitulate to that error.
Click to expand...

The sticky is not meant to tell a knifemaker how to make "damascus steel", it is meant to tell a buyer what he will get if he buys a knife that is advertised as having "damascus steel". A buyer who buys a knife with "damascus steel" will get pattern welded damascus.

Your original message said Joe's text was incorrect. From the point of view of what he is trying to accomplish, educating the buyer, it is not.
 
65535 said:
I will second that the damascus steel blades are welded billets of multiple steels and acid etched, not the true ancient damascus steel which was an ultra steel. True old damascus was much more advanced than anything currently produced.
Click to expand...

Have you seen side by side performance comparison data for modern steel vs. "true ancient damascus"? I have not.

"True ancient Damascus steel" outperformed its contemporary competition. I doubt it would outperform current alloys. But if you have data to share, please do.
 
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