> When it comes down to it, most of today’s super exotic alloys will outperform any pattern-welded steel ... A well-made Damascus blade will stay sharp for longer than most production quality knives, but if you’re looking for the ends-of-the-earth best performing blade steel, look elsewhere Can someone link/name one of these super exotic alloys knifes?
Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
21–30 of 107 posts
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#22> Unfortunately, the technique for making both Damascus and Wootz steel has been lost to the centuries. I've watched the artists on Man at Arms Reforged make wootz steel in a kiln from pig iron and wrought iron when recreating a Viking-era sword. It certainly isn't lost. edit: video here if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EG34YoRHs8
[deleted]
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#23Knife community is pretty tight and also pretty accessible. I've exchanged emails with Devin Thomas and I'm a relative newbie. I think of damascus as an aesthetic element first. Some people really like it, others find it too flashy.
Can I ask how you got started, and why? Thinking about picking up knife making as a hobby and curious about your experience. Feel free to email me - address in profile.
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nobody knows if the modern approach is the same, even if using historically appropriate tools and materials.
But if the result is indistinguishable from old examples, does it matter if the approach is different?
No, but that doesn't make the phrase "the technique has been lost for centuries" any less true. Which is what the OP is questioning.
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#25Aren't Damascus blades originally an Indian invention?
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#26For 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.
My day job is driving a 4kW fibre laser for cutting steel. AMA ;)
Recently a couple of people have had me cut knives from old circular saw blades from timber mills. It's a fairly hard wearing steel, and they got the old blades for free.
Just hobby knives, I think they do it mostly for the enjoyment of making their own knives, well fitting and shaping the handle, sharpening it. You'd still be able to say "I made that" to a much greater extend than a store bought one.
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#27Is it possible to make corrosion resistant stainless in the Damascus style...or will the dissimilar materials cause galvanic corrosion or the spaces between the different alloys result in crevice corrosion?
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#28Is it possible to make corrosion resistant stainless in the Damascus style...or will the dissimilar materials cause galvanic corrosion or the spaces between the different alloys result in crevice corrosion?
The article explicitly mentions an all-stainless Damascus steel formulation:
> "Devin makes all-stainless Damascus steel, high contrast, double high carbon, and many, many exotic patterns."
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#29I chuckle when in film they describe a blade as folded over 200 times. 2^200 is a lot. And anything more than a few folds gives you mush.
Re: Ask a Knifemaker: The Truth About Damascus Steel
#30For 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.
My day job is driving a 4kW fibre laser for cutting steel. AMA ;) Recently a couple of people have had me cut knives from old circular saw blades from timber mills. It's a fairly hard wearing steel, and they got the old blades for free. Just hobby knives, I think they do it mostly for the enjoyment of making their own knives, well fitting and shaping the handle, sharpening it. You'd still be able to say "I made that"…
That's pretty cool, I'm assuming it runs from 240 or is it something beefier?
Their factory is pretty neat, it's much smaller than I would have expected given their volume. Happy to support a company that does all it's work in the US even if the prices are higher.
One of the thing that was interesting from the factory tour was that they were really just a high precision (at the time in the 80s) machine shop. Most of their work is pairing with an existing designer(Osbourne, Pardue, Williams, etc). It's an interesting business model compared to some of the other manufacturers out there.