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Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

thetruthaboutknives.com

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Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

#2

Post by vvanders »

For the pocket knife aficionados out there, if your ever in Portland higly reccomend taking a tour of Benchmade's factory. They've got a ton of history about the company and you get a chance to view the factory floor(industrial laser cutters!) where all their knives are made.

Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

#5

Post by claydavisss »

Damascus steel requires much more time to hone. It holds an edge longer, but I'm not sure it is worth the frustration involved in getting an edge.

My favorite straight razors are my vintage ones, mostly because the steel is of lower quality....they take an edge real fast!

Damascus steel also makes products very expensive. I tend to lose straight razors and pocket knives, so it doesn't make sense to make such a large investment. The investment will extend to honing stones....you'll probably want a Belgian Coticule which run $100+.

Damascus steel looks super cool though. If I was a superstar sushi chef, I'd want Damasteel just for the brag points.

Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

#6

Post by hprotagonist »

pattern welding is, effectively, a solution to a problem we don't have any more.

When steel quality varied widely between batches, you needed a reliable way to mix it up so that the overall properties of the resulting object were predictable. This evolved into a more sophisticated technique that gave you not only predictability but differential properties (harder steel at the edge, more ductile in the spine) and a pretty visual result.

The batch variability problem isn't a problem any more, and we can get differential properties with very precise heat treatments now, so all that's left is the pretty visual result.

So, if it appeals to you; great! Just don't think you're getting anything that's super magical above and beyond what a modern alloy can do.

Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

#9

Post by lukev »

sergiotapia wrote: post #8

>Unfortunately, the technique for making both Damascus and Wootz steel has been lost to the centuries. >For instance Devin Thomas is a master Damascus steel maker. He forges every billet himself and has the process down to a science. So which one is it?

The ancient techniques have been lost, but it's spitting against the wind to try and refer to "modern" Damascus by a different name.

Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel

#10

Post by grzm »

sergiotapia wrote: post #8

>Unfortunately, the technique for making both Damascus and Wootz steel has been lost to the centuries. >For instance Devin Thomas is a master Damascus steel maker. He forges every billet himself and has the process down to a science. So which one is it?

The article makes clear that the modern usage is a misnomer in that the process is not the same. That said, given that the term is currently widely used for modern knives, it's needlessly pedantic to insist that one not call the modern knives Damascus steel.

> "The other type of pattern-welded steel is the so called “Damascus steel”. Originally used in middle eastern sword making, the method has been lost since about the 16th century. The art form has resurfaced, though, and in 1973 bladesmith William F. Moran unveiled his “Damascus knives” at the Knifemakers’ Guild Show. Ever since then modern pattern-welded steel blades have been called “Damascus knives”."

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