Damascus?

[Highbinder]

I feel like an idiot but can someone explain damascus to me? Why is it popular - is it purely esthetics or does it have different properties to other steels? Is it just the outer that has the patterning, or is it the entire way through the metal? What causes the patterning? Does the patterning wear away on sharpening - is that why most seem to be flatground? I've seen scandi but never convex.

:yikes:

 

[JonathanD]

Most of your questions are answered here...

http://www.damasteel.com/history.html

 

[launditch1]

Not just knives..http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/guns/498519/Purdey_Damascus_shotgun_review.html

 

[MSkiba]

Nice shotgun. only 100k !

I love the steel patterns, ive seen many on here, specially waylands axe looks appealing to me.

 

[torc]

Not quite bushcrafty and to be honest I'm not a great fan of sharps (well, spending money on them anyway) but feast your eyes on these beauties...
http://www.kramerknives.com/
http://www.findeatdrink.com/Index/Etc/Entries/2010/3/4_kramer_knives.html
Happy trails...torc.

 

[_mark_]

Kramer knife = $300 per inch.

 

[Highbinder]

Cheers for the links, had a read through em. Some pretty blades!

Bottom line is it's just esthetics then?

 

[JonathanD]

Bottom line is it's just esthetics then?

Nowadays... Yup. .

 

[Highbinder]

Nowadays... Yup. .

Ah well ... still want one

 

[Dave Budd]

if you are a smith then it shows that you have a certain level of skill just to make the material. Though it's not the hardest thing in the world to do, it does take some skill and some patterns are much more tricky than others. Other than that, no benefits at all. I personally prefer a blade made from a single bit of steel that has the properties that I desire and is well heat treated. With pattern welded blades it is only as good as the mix of steels the smith/factory uses (they tend to be chosen primarily for contrast and secondary for qualities). Also, between every layer there is a potential for a flaw that you don't need to worry about with laminates

as it happens I've got some billets in the workshop part way through right now, they will be the first damascus knives I've made in about 5 years It was one of those things that I learnt how to do just to see if I could, then realised that without a power hammer was completely uneconomical. Now it's a procrastination project and to show that I can do it if I wish. Or when doing 100% archaeological recreations of course

 

[lannyman8]

dave i thought it was also that the change in steel made micro serations on the blade where the different metals erode at a different rate causing the bread knife effect....lol

 

[Matt.S]

dave i thought it was also that the change in steel made micro serations on the blade where the different metals erode at a different rate causing the bread knife effect....lol

I have heard this but TBH IMHO there are a lot more important factors involved in blade performance -- correct steel choice and HT as Dave said and geometery and variances within the material being cut. Thats before the usual limiting factor with tools, the bushcrafter holding onto the blunt end!

 

[Everything Mac]

bottom line is that it looks pretty. - back in the day it was a way of making your good steel go further.

As far as I know, no one actually knows how they made Damascus steel properly - technically speaking it should all be called pattern welded steel these days.

Andy

 

[Dave Budd]

now you're getting into whether 'Damascus' steel was pattern welded steel or crucible steel aka Wootz. a debate that has raged on various forums for a ong time and I'm keeping my head below the parapet!

 

[Matt.S]

now you're getting into whether 'Damascus' steel was pattern welded steel or crucible steel aka Wootz. a debate that has raged on various forums for a ong time and I'm keeping my head below the parapet!

Vanadium!

(Sorry, couldn't resist...)