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Knife Making Discussions A place to discuss issues related to all aspects of the custom knifemaking community. |
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#1
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1st time Damascus - need advise
Hello, I have been making knives since the eight grade but never used any Damascus. I've been doing a lot of research on it and would like some advice on what steels to start with. I'll be using agas forge. Forging with a hammer and anvil - not a press. I have a piece of 1" cable I was thinking of using for the first try but would like your advice on the steels to use for the best results for future blades. Also once I shape the blade by forging, then grind the blade to the final shape how much polishing and buffing is required. Should I finish it like I would a blade from 440C or does it have to that smooth for the etch process? One more thing. I have found no reference of actually heat treating the blade. Is the blade heat treated by the forging process or is thier further heat treating required after the blade is shaped. Maybe it depends on the type of steels used??? Thanks, Steven |
#2
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No expert here,but I would suggest 1084 and 15n20.I have tried 1095 and L6 but like the first mentioned better. You may want to look at Ed Caffreys forum pub42.ezboard.com/fcustomknifedirectoryforumfrm4 in the older post and check his website www.caffreyknives.net/ for the heat treats. As far as finishing the blade,many take it to 600 grit or better after heat treat and then etch.Some of the steps you will have to play around with to get the results you want,but there is a lot of valuable tips here to follow. Have fun and welcome to the CKD! Mike K |
#3
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I would try and stay away from cable for your first weld because basically you are making several hundred, if not thousand, welds. Anyone of these could fail to the point that you could waste the entire bar. In my opion start with the steels mentioned previously and start with only a few layers (i.e. 10 or 15). This will allow you to get a feel for the way the steel moves and if you are happy with it and the bar passes the ring test you could always cut, stack it and reweld it. just my 2 cents worth. Mike |
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blade, forge, forging, knife, knives |
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