wire rope damascus musings

Will52100

Will52100

Joined
Dec 4, 2001
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Been thinking of trying this for a while, while I work on my shop and house. Getting closer to getting them done.

I've been considering doing a high layer billet of drill line cable, it's got big wires in it, and seeing how it'd look with a clay coated back quench. Not sure how many folds, but enough to basicly wipe away the pattern and make it similar to Japanease sword steel, or at least as close as I can come without iron sand and a foundry at hand! More or less as an experiment and to get some quality time with my hammer and forge which I've been missing.

Anybody ever try this? I'm thinking extreamly high layer, maybe 1/4 million to 1/2 a million layers. May get the carbon down low enough to need a water quench to harden. Wondering if I'd see a differance between it and say a 1050 steel when etched?
 
just for the heck of it, and since I haven't been able to do any forge work for a while it's something to think about. Plus it wouldn't take that long with a hammer and a press. Just something to try. The layer count can get up there quickly too, 2,4,8,16, 32, 64, ect.
 
I'm no expert on damascus of any sort, but I seem to recall a few articles discussing cables... IIRC, the larger the initial wires in the cable, and the more you fold/weld it, the more carbon you're going to lose. It seems to me if you start with cable made of thick "wires" and layer it several thousand times, you're going to end up with fairly homogenous, fairly low-carbon steel.

On the other hand, cable like that, folded only a few times might be really tough and take a great, toothy, aggressive edge. I could be completely wrong.
 
I've used this cable a couple times with just twisting and forging and it makes an interesting pattern, nowhere near as good as some of the finner dia. wire rope though. It does hold a very good edge though.

What I'm thinking of is more as something to play with, if it works good, if not? Thinking as long as I keep the carbon around .5 or .6% it'll work with water quech. I'm hopeing it'll wipe nearly all the pattern out and make a real interesting hammon, but who knows? If I like the looks of the steel and it's too low a carbon to hold an edge I may do a sanmay or high carbon insert.

Just thinking out loud, I've got a six week hitch ahead of me, then when I get in maybe getting my shop finished and finish wiring the house and such. About to go crazy not being able to work on blades.:barf:
 
When it comes to working with cable only two knife makers come to mind. Wayne Goddard and Ariel Salaverria. I am sure one; if not both of these gentlemen have tried to do the same process you are wondering about.
Good luck and please post many pictures here so we can see the work!
 
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