WIP Damascus Eastside

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

Hi everyone, Just thought I would let you all know what I have been up to. I am currently working on a group of three knives, one is s Slim Pickens, one is a Eastside in W2 and the other one is a Eeastside in damascus. All three have different homes and are now being worked and finished up individually. I always try to work three or four at a time until I get to the handling stage. I thought I would give you a glimpse into the making of the eastside fighter in damascus.

This is how it all begins, two stacks of 1084 and 15N20.

It is hard to see in the photo but the rod is preheating my dies on my press so that the heat is not robbed from the billet as I start to se the intial welds.

The first billet is coming up to welding heat.

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

Here is the billet with the weld set. It is currrently being drawn out to a bar so that I can restack it. I am working alone so I was not able to get a good picture of the forge welding process.

In this photo I am using my straightning dies to true the bar up.

The two bars that will be used to make my damascus. One is a random pattern and the other is a W pattern.

This is the eleven bar stack the will be forged into the blade. The stack starts with a W then a Randon then a W etc.....

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

This is a shot of the new billet. These are my drawing dies, they have stops welded on them to set the thickness of the billet. I set the intial weld on the stack and then turned the billet on its edge and forged it as you would a W pattern damascus. What this does is give you a bar with a layer of W's damscus and then a layer of straight lines.

At this point it is time to start drawing the tip of the blade out. I want the damascus pattern to flow to the tip so I begin forging from full width of the bar and gradually draw the tip out.

I draw the tip as far as I can with the press and then it gets refined with the hammer and anvil.

The billet as it has progressed so far.

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

Now I am getting ready to shape the rest of the blade. I use my straightning dies to make sure everything is true and flat.

I use my straightning dies and a few blocks to set my ricasso on my billet. I forge my blades in revese to what some do. I will draw my tang out last.

At this point the step for the ricasso and tang area is forge in. I have changed the dies to my laddering dies.

Here is a good close up view of my laddering dies.

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

This pic shows the ladder dies at work. I will ladder the billet about 3/4 of the way up the blade. The blade has started to lose heat while I was taking the pic.

The rough blade ahs taken shape.

Grinding the ridges left from ladder dies is best left to the side grinder and cup wheels.

This shows some of the prgression of the grinding. The scale is hard stuff!

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

The blade cleaned up and rough ground.

A quick etch to get a glimpse of the pattern. Unfortunately I couldn't capture it in the photo to well.

It is time to file the shoulders of the ricasso. i square them to the edge of the blade.

Bless Uncle Al for his shoulder filing jig!

ckerwin · Mar 17, 2009

:thumbup:Great post by a great maker:thumbup:

Keep 'em coming pal. Happy St Pat's Day

C-Camerer · Mar 17, 2009

This is how I file my shoulders in. I leave a slight radius at eh junture where the tang meets the ricasso and I also round that juncture over.

Here is a close up of the filed juncture.

There will be more to come in a few days.

Keith Montgomery · Mar 17, 2009

You have done a great job of making this a very informative WIP thread. These threads always take a great deal of work on the part of the maker and I for one am very appreciative for all the time and effort.

mohd · Mar 17, 2009

C-Camerer said:

I am beginning to guess that this is going to be a large knife

C-Camerer said:

And this picture gives the glimpse of a real lovely pattern :thumbup:

This is going to be another great WIP thread in 2009 :thumbup:

Lots of thanks for showing and telling all the works and processes in the making of this large knife Craig

Mohd.

John M Cohea · Mar 17, 2009

Great stuff Craig:thumbup::thumbup:

Nylunds knives · Mar 17, 2009

Excellent!

Lokking forward to see the next steps!!

Kevin Jones · Mar 17, 2009

Going to be a BIG ONE.
Thanks Craig for putting in the extra time and effort.

Bruce Bump · Mar 17, 2009

Very Cool thread Craig. Hurry up I want to see a better shot of that pattern.

peterinct · Mar 17, 2009

Bruce Bump said:
Very Cool thread Craig. Hurry up I want to see a better shot of that pattern.

VERY Cool indeed.

I love these threads and anxiously wait to see that pattern too!

Thanks for the time and effort Craig.

Peter

nut4brend · Mar 17, 2009

Craig,

Man, that is a lot of hard work that goes into making a custom knife. Keep it up. Can't wait till my name comes back up.

Zack Townsend

McAhron · Mar 17, 2009

Lookin fine:thumbup:

SBranson · Mar 17, 2009

Fascinating stuff. Looking forward to seeing this progress. Thanks for the effort to show us!

JParanee · Mar 17, 2009

Looks like It's going to be a good one anxious to see this one evolve.

jdm61 · Mar 17, 2009

A question for you, Craig. What is the purpose of the alternating random and W layers in a none twisted billet?

WIP Damascus Eastside

itinerant metal pounder