What is Damascus? A true definition

[awesome14]

This is just all kinds of wrong.

Have you gone online and looked at steel suppliers sites. Why would anyone make their own layered steel, which requires hours and hours of hard labor, when you can just buy a slab of it and grind it into whatever you want! Do you contend that knifemakers would sooner layer their own steel than just purchased it? I live in reality, where people work for a living, and care about how much they earn. You are wrong!

 

[J. Doyle]

Have you gone online and looked at steel suppliers sites. Why would anyone make their own layered steel, which requires hours and hours of hard labor, when you can just buy a slab of it and grind it into whatever you want! Do you contend that knifemakers would sooner layer their own steel than just purchased it? I live in reality, where people work for a living, and care about how much they earn. You are wrong!

You can't be serious, right?..........right??

No one can really be this uneducated on this topic.

 

[awesome14]

I really think your posts are just so you can hear yourself click-clack at the keyboard. There’s an entire knife making community that’s making all their own pattern-welded steel. Ever heard of the American Bladesmith Society? Mastersmith’s, Journeysmith’s, Apprenticesmith’s? Wait for it….ever watched Forged in Fire to see everyday people make it?

The thousands of craftsmen making their own knives know exactly what steels they’re using and you can get many high quality, hand forged, pattern welded damascus blades for much less than $1500, exceptions do apply depending on the level of maker or the intricacy of the knife however.

There is an entire knifemaking community that claims to hand-layer it's own steel. Since there is absolutely no way to know for sure, I would guess the smart money goes with the material being machine-made, and purchased in bar stock. It takes one man three weeks to authentically make a Japanese layered sword. I marvel at those who who are so steeped in the mystique they reject common sense when it bites them in the nose. And my keyboard doesn't make sounds. It's silent. But, given the level of acceptance my prose receive on this board, I can see why it would appear I do it for no good reason. I'm trying to reach those who Quite obviously need truth! Nothing I have said is incorrect. If it is the truth, it should be believed.

 

[hardheart]

The knifemakers don't need to make their own pattern-welded steel. It is manufactured, and available in bar stock. The makers just need to fabricate it into blades. I don't think anyone would bother hand layering. You'd lose so much on labor, the knives would cost $1,500!

Sorta? Yes, there are suppliers that offer pattern welded bar stock and even blades cut to shape that only need handles, but there's also many makers who forge their own pattern welded steel. And yes, plenty of those are $1,500, or even much, much higher. Very beautiful and highly intricate single author art pieces.

After grinding and heat-treat, the pattern comes out by etching with acid or some other etching compound. Original Damascus didn't require etching. It had the pattern naturally. It wasn't defined by the patterns, but that was one identifying characteristic. Today, it is defined by the pattern.

Still need etching for the carbide banding to stand out the most.

In ancient Japan swords were made by layering steel thousands of times, which produces a tough, stong blade. Even after guns came to be, many Japanese preferred their swords, which were rumored to be able to slice through a gun barrel!

Nine folds of two starting pieces gives you a thousand (1024) layers (first fold goes 2 layers to 4, then 8, 16, etc).

Damascus steel is layered steel. The exact composition of the steel remains unknown, but it's the layering that defines it. Only today, many fewer layers are used than in previous eras.

The exact composition is, like, really well known. Both ancient and most certainly current. 1084 & 15N20 is a classic combo. The number of layers is again controlled by the number of folds.

 

[hardheart]

There is an entire knifemaking community that claims to hand-layer it's own steel. Since there is absolutely no way to know for sure, I would guess the smart money goes with the material being machine-made, and purchased in bar stock.

C'mon man, the Internet literally exists

the trolling is a little too blatant at this point, try to keep it convincing

 

[shane45-1911]

No one can really be this uneducated on this topic.

Nothing surprises me anymore regarding the "knowledge" of many of our new members.

Another troll joins the ranks.

 

[shane45-1911]

There is an entire knifemaking community that claims to hand-layer it's own steel. Since there is absolutely no way to know for sure, I would guess the smart money goes with the material being machine-made, and purchased in bar stock. It takes one man three weeks to authentically make a Japanese layered sword. I marvel at those who who are so steeped in the mystique they reject common sense when it bites them in the nose. And my keyboard doesn't make sounds. It's silent. But, given the level of acceptance my prose receive on this board, I can see why it would appear I do it for no good reason. I'm trying to reach those who Quite obviously need truth! Nothing I have said is incorrect. If it is the truth, it should be believed.

You are blatantly wrong, opinionated, and no one wants to hear you ramble on as you expose more and more of your ignorance with every post you make. Read more and post less, and stop thinking you need to "reach those that need truth" - because you don't. We already know the truth. TROLL.

 

[JPD1998]

A local knife maker made this , he forged the damascus from a motorcycle chain.
Not a show piece by any means , but he didn't buy a billet and it wasn't expensive.

 

[Chefget]

There is an entire knifemaking community that claims to hand-layer it's own steel. Since there is absolutely no way to know for sure, I would guess the smart money goes with the material being machine-made, and purchased in bar stock. It takes one man three weeks to authentically make a Japanese layered sword. I marvel at those who who are so steeped in the mystique they reject common sense when it bites them in the nose. And my keyboard doesn't make sounds. It's silent. But, given the level of acceptance my prose receive on this board, I can see why it would appear I do it for no good reason. I'm trying to reach those who Quite obviously need truth! Nothing I have said is incorrect. If it is the truth, it should be believed.

I'm with you!

As a chef I used to cook food, took all damn day! Now I look on line and you can just order it!

Geez

 

[Chronovore]

Back on topic, forgive me for taking so long. Life and all that. I previously promised a comparison shot of some Civivi Damascus (9Cr/10Cr) finished different ways. Here is the rougher Conspirator versus the more polished Governor. (Both have undergone scale swaps.)