Stupid questions! Cable Damascus.

B

bulldogsblades

Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
52
Often on this board I see folks saying, it’s a stupid question but I will ask it anyway.

My grandfather had a saying, the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Because failure to ask keeps you stupid. So don’t beat yourself up guys. If you don’t know then it needs to be asked. We all had to learn somewhere. And I look back on the days without the internet and remember the wasted hours spent trying to figure something out because I had no one I could ask. Man, we have come a long way. I tune in here every day almost and normally learn something while I am here.

And remember this, when you ask that question, there are a large number of people who will learn from the answers you receive. So not only are you helping yourself, you are helping others as well.

Now for my stupid question.

I have been making Damascus for many years. I have excellent luck with about every type I have made. This being the exception, cable Damascus. I cant seam to get around a number of inclusions in the finished billet. So I would like to hear the methods you folks use and the results you achieve.
 
OK, I will try. First I disassemble the cable, clean ( soak in kerosene and wire brush) and put back togther. Heat slow. Flux often. Before any tap welding, I have most likely fluxed 3-4 times. I am sure others will add to this. Oh yea, you do weld the ends don't you?
 
Yes sir, I do weld the ends. However I do not as a rule disassemble the cable. I heat and quench 4 times in a borax and hot water mix. Then flux heavily
 
Here's my take on cable damascus, I've soaked it in kerosene then rinsed in gasoline, I've taken it apart and cleaned good and reassembled. I've tried several dips in water that was loaded with borax at low red heat. But I don't think I've ever seen a piece of welded cable that didn't have an inclusion of some kind in it. Grant you it might have been like a pin hole but they were still there. All I can say is clean it up good, flux really good, twist the crap out of it the first couple of welding heats, always weld it keeping it round, and use a power hammer. The power hammer will eliminate a heck of a lot of inclusions. Another thing about 1095 welded cable, it makes for a fantastic knife. All those little strands, twisted and wrapped around each other in the welding process, makes the steel act like its laced together. Very strong and tough.


Bill
 
I'm with Bill on this one. I start with 1.125 cable, new not used. I don't clean it, I just burn out all that tar gunk in the forge. Weld the two ends, which always seems to open up the cable. While the cable is open and hot, flux the crap out of it. Bring it upto a cherry red and tap the cable closed along the full length.

Flux again and bring the whole piece upto welding temp and twist the snot out of it. Lightly flux, bring upto weld temp, twist again. Bring upto weld temp and weld the length of the cable. Bring upto weld temp and twist again, then forge weld the billet again.

Now, I have almost finished a pen using cable, and I forged the billet to about 0.75 diameter. Once I cut the pieces to size, you could see a bunch of inclusions and cold shuts in the center, but the outside was solid. They all got drilled away, but it plays into the next thought.

What Bill said is true. There are always going to be some small inclusions in welded cable. Most of them don't go away until the billet is forged flat under the force of a power hammer.

Not to keep showing this, but here is my cable damascus blade:

f2done.jpg


There are still a few pin holes in that blade, but not very obvious.

Mostly I think the inclusions in a cable blade are along the edge since that is basically the center of the billet.
 
Bulldog, its perfection that we all look for, but don't be disappointed when you don't get it. All any of us can do, is our best, but we must strive to make our best better with each project. I can guarantee you that each and every maker can see imperfections in each and every knife, hawk or whatever, he or she makes. No body's perfect.

Welded cable with no inclusions is a hard task, to many little holes and crevices for scale to form before we can get it completly welded solid. It can be done though, so don't give up.

Bill
 
Has anyone seen a cable knife by Wayne Goddard to know whether the pin holes are inevitable? I haven't, but I figure her would have sorted it out if anyone has.

Also, where do you get your cable, not necesarily the name of the shop, but what would you look under in the yellow pages, or what kind of place would you contact. Seems like most of the stuff I see in passing, is galvi, what sold of place has 1095 cable.
 
I think Sheffield's sells 1095 cable. Ours came directly from a cable manufacturer here in the state. Kirksville, Mo. It was left over cut off pieces and they were able to tell us what the steels were that were used.

Bill
 
Originally posted by Protactical
Has anyone seen a cable knife by Wayne Goddard to know whether the pin holes are inevitable? I haven't, but I figure her would have sorted it out if anyone has.

Also, where do you get your cable, not necesarily the name of the shop, but what would you look under in the yellow pages, or what kind of place would you contact. Seems like most of the stuff I see in passing, is galvi, what sold of place has 1095 cable.
Click to expand...
Where do you live??? Chiesl brought over to my shop a half of a roll.
 
I got my cable at a "sling" company. They sell all sorts of stuff for riggers and such. Look in your yellow pages for riggers or something similar.

Another thought on the on the pinholes in cable damascus. Since most of your pinholes will be at the center of the billet, if you forge your knives to shape, including the bevels, you might not see any in the finished knife.

I forge mine to the general shape and then grind in the bevels, I think it makes damascus look alot better if you grind away material to reveal the pattern. Whether or not you can see the pinholes on the surface may be directly related to how the blade was made.

But I would be willing to bet that if you find a cable blade that does not have any visible pinholes, and slit it lengthwise to reveal the center, you would find them in there.
 
In Wayne Goddard's video he says twist after the first weld and that one fold eliminates most cold shuts. He also warns that too many folds makes the pattern disappear.
Just passing info, not personal experience.
Lynn
 
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