How to Make Damascus Knives
Though the details are debated, Damascus steel knives can be traced back nearly as long ago as the beginning of steel making itself. Blacksmiths and bladesmiths will employ a variety of techniques in making Damascus steel blades. Basically, as we know it today, Damascus is pattern-welded with alternating layers of hard and soft steel that is etched in acid. The result is a more flexible and sturdy blade than a homogeneous steel blade, with intricate and beautiful patterns dancing within the metal. Forging a Damascus steel blade is not for novice bladesmiths.
Things You'll Need
- 2 High carbon pieces of steel
- 3 medium carbon pieces of steel
- Borax
- Hammer
- Anvil
- Bench sander/grinder
- Quenching oil
- Ferric chloride
- Coal forge
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose five pieces of steel: two high-carbon pieces and three medium-carbon pieces. Determine the length, width and thickness of your steel based on the size of the blade that you want to create.
-
2
Clean all of your pieces of steel to rid them of impurities.Stack the steel together with the two pieces of high carbon steel in between and separated by the three medium-carbon steel pieces. To be able to handle the billet in the forge, make sure that one of the pieces of medium-carbon steel is longer than the other pieces.
-
-
3
Weld the various pieces of steel together, or alternatively, tie them together with wire at the end. Fire up the forge and once ready, position the billet into the forge.
-
4
Let the billet stay until the metal reaches the color of cherry red. Remove the billet from the forge and also remove the wire or weld material from the billet. Coat the billet with borax.
-
5
Place the billet back in the forge until the borax has turned to liquid and begins to spark. Remove the billet and begin hammering the pieces together softly with a blacksmith's hammer and anvil. Strike your hammer straight down on the billet to draw it out and to prevent splitting, beginning at the tip of what will be the blade and work your way back towards the handle.
-
6
Reheat the billet as necessary and continue to draw the billet until it is approximately two times its original length. Cut the billet into two pieces of equal length. To create a convex welding surface, place the billet on its side and strike it with your hammer lightly until the center of the billet swells.
-
7
Clean the two billet pieces, reheat them and then stack them on each other and place them back in the forge. Hammer-weld the pieces together once they reach a welding temperature.
-
8
Repeat step four and step number five a minimum of five times in order to create a Damascus steel of 150 layers. Repeating the steps more than five times will create more layers that will pattern in the blade, but also requires more skill to make a well-made blade.
-
9
Shape the billet into the size and style blade you want by either hammering or cutting and grinding it into shape. Use a bench sander/grinder when grinding off excess material, making an edge and shaping the blade.
-
10
Heat the blade to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit once it is shaped and then submerge it in quenching oil to heat treat the blade. Reheat the blade slowly once it has cooled to approximately 400 degrees for two hours in order to temper the blade.
-
11
Sand, polish and sharpen your blade. Submerge the blade in a ferric chloride acid bath to etch the blade and then heat it up to about 100 degrees, as the acid eats away the softer metal, the grain pattern that is distinctive of Damascus steel comes out.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit push dagger image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
