Hey folks,

I'm almost done remodeling my shop, so I'm taking 15 days off that tedious work to keep making new knives and fullfill some orders. I'll be posting more finished knives and process pictures soon!

I've been asked how I made a mokume using iron, steel and copper, so here it is!


One clarification before I start, though. I'm referring to 1010 as "iron" because of its low content of Carbon. The proper term for it in English would be Low-Carbon Steel.

If I'm mistaking terms here, please a fellow knifemaker correct me :)

The concept between this is to use steels with different Carbon content, as that will make the difference in the final colors after etching, just as on a regular damascus blade.


The first pictures are a recreation. I just took some pics to clarify this process, as I didn't take any of those stages when I was really making it.


First I bend a 0.8mm thickness piece of steel into a "U" shape. If you use a galvanized or stainless steel plate you can remove the resulting mokume piece more easily. I just use a regular steel and then grind it off.

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking1_big.jpg


Then I fill that space with 0.3mm thickness layers of 1010 and 1085, alternating them. Not too tight as I need space for the copper to get in between.

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking2_big.jpg


After that, I place a lot of borax on top of the layers and place some pieces of copper there. (Remember this is a recreation, so I didn't actually place borax there for the picture)

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking3_big.jpg


Then I take that to the oven at 1200C and when I see the copper gets into liquid state and flows in the spaces between the steel layers, I add more copper pieces to ensure this melted metal fills in all the free spaces between the 1010 and 1085 layers.

After I've attained that, I took it off the oven and press it on the hidraulic press.

(When you rotate the U shaped piece with the melted copper between the steel layers you won't spill it all as it's not that much liquid and due to superficial tension it tends to remain there)

When pressed, some copper will drip away, but it's not much.


This is a piece of the resulting ingot, after pressing it and cut to aprox desired size.

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking4_big.jpg


Now this is how it looks after I take that piece and grind some section and etch it like regular damascus to show the contrast generated by the different materials.

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking5_big.jpg


This is a final piece of this mokume, ready to be used for whatever piece you want to make out of it.

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking6_big.jpg

http://www.aescustomknives.com.ar/images6/mokumemaking7_big.jpg


And this beautiful guard is what knifemaker and friend Ruben Calo made out of it!

http://www.calocustomknives.com.ar/images3/sessum6_big.jpg

http://www.calocustomknives.com.ar/images3/sessum9_big.jpg



I hope this helps, any further questions, please don't hessitate making them!

Regards,

Ariel

I don't forge, but I always look forward to your posts. There's always something very interesting in them!

That's beautiful stuff. I really like it.

Ariel,

Thanks for sharing that, that is really cool :bow . I don't have a press yet but you can bet I will be doing some. I have been thinking of how to do this with out a press. I bet that would look good with some brass as well!

Mike

Beautiful stuff, Ariel! That's just one more thing I have to try .......

Thanks for sharing. Real neat stuff.
Matt

Thanks for the kind words, gentlemen!

Ariel

I forge, not damascus yet but will as soon as i order a propane regulator from a guy in a few minutes....Thanks for the info and if you have some material to throw away? Im here in loley little Oregon, just waiting to catcht the metal fairy flying by.
Lol.....Good job dude.
Jeff

thats cool, it seems that everyone of your posts i read, i like even more.
just a few questions if you dont mind,
1. am i right in thinking that you just have a U shape, you dont enclose it later?
2.i guess that the steel never gets anywhere near welding heat and its just the molten coper that joins it together?
3.do you put the borax between the steel and copper, or on top of the copper?
4. would a manual press be okay with like 5ton of pressure??
5. and most importantly, how did you get the pattern, did it just happen or did you forge it in somehow?
6.and lastly am i corect in thinking that any low carbon steel and copper wouldwork, does it need to be 1010, also do i need to steels and coper or will one and coper work?

sorry im asking so many questions its just that i've been wanting to make mokume for so long and i think i've finally found a way that i can do.

thanks for your time ariel and i look forward to your next pictorial/tutorial, i love them all especially the one with the san mai tanto.

brett

1. am i right in thinking that you just have a U shape, you dont enclose it later?
YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT :)

2.i guess that the steel never gets anywhere near welding heat and its just the molten coper that joins it together?
EXACTLY!

3.do you put the borax between the steel and copper, or on top of the copper?
BETWEEN THE STEEL AND COPPER, YOU CAN PLACE IT ON TOP OF THE COPPER TOO (IN ADDITION, NOT JUST ON TOP)

4. would a manual press be okay with like 5ton of pressure??
I'M THINKING NOT, PROBABL A 10 TON MINIMUM.

5. and most importantly, how did you get the pattern, did it just happen or did you forge it in somehow?
IT'S PRETTY MUCH RANDOM, THERE ARE 3 METHODS THOUGH:
1. PLACING SMALL SIZES OD STEEL PLATES IN THE U "CANNISTER"
2. CARVING IT LATER TO SHOW THE PATTERNS. (KIND OF LIKE YOU'D DO WITH MICARTA)
3. CARVING IT AND THEN HEATING IT AND PRESSING IT AGAIN TO DRAW SOME MORE.


6.and lastly am i corect in thinking that any low carbon steel and copper wouldwork, does it need to be 1010, also do i need to steels and coper or will one and coper work?
ANY LOW CARBON STEEL WOULD WORK.
I'VE TRIED BRONZE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS TOO LIQUID AND POURED OUT OF THE U SHAPPED GUIDE, SO IT DIDN'T WORK WELL. IT WOULD PROBABLY WORK FINE IN A CLOSED CANNISTER, BUT I HAVEN'T TRIED YET :)

I read you post with great interest. A little disappointed about the results that you had with bronze, like the other reader, I was very interested in trying that too. I have one question, however. Have you ever tried someting like coating the inside of the steel channel with something like Satanite to prevent the billet from sticking?

Doug Lester

Man , very beautiful work, i?ll try to make this u try just 1010 steel ?

thanks for the in depth responce ariel, a shame about the press though, i might still give it a try but i will probably have to wait a while till i get a hydraulic press, but beleive me, this is definately going in my favorites, once again thanks for taking the time to take the photos and post it.
Brett

Man , very beautiful work, i?ll try to make this u try just 1010 steel ?
You will get only two shades (copper and 1010) instead of threee (copper, 1010 and 1085), but it will definately work :)

Ariel