Blades from Crazy Crow?

[mr fixit]

I've looked and looked, searched here and abroad. Can't find what I'm trying to find out. I'm not even sure if this is the place to ask or not, but here goes;

I'm wondering about the quality of blades from Crazy Crow trading, specifically the Damascus blades. I can't find a review anywhere, and I don't know where they get the stuff. I was thinking maybe someone here had used them or knew about them.

I want to make a quality knife, user, not a work of art but attractive.

I've been tinkering with guns and metal for many years. Metalwork is not new to me, specifics of knives are a bit.

So, are the blades good? decent? trash?

Are they finished or do they still need heat treat?

Thanks in advance

[gsimmo]

I've worked with some of the blades from crazy crow. They are pre-heat treated, mostly sharp, fairly clean blades. Being that they are done already, the learning process with them is more for fit, finish, handle and guard work if that is what you wish. Have not used their damascus, so I can't give you anything on that. They have good cs, fair prices and ship quickly. IMO what is offered from CC is good entry level, or learning curve material. Worth the investment if you have a lot to learn about making knives, because it chops the learning in to chunks without having everything to worry about all at once. Also, give you the chance to see if you enjoy the hobby without the investment of time and money. Hope this helps, happy making!!

-Geoff

[mr fixit]

Well, I called today and spoke with customer service. the nice lady told me that the Damascus blades were made in India, and they had "multiple layers". She said the guy who could answer my questions about if it needed to be hardened or what quality they are was on another line and he would have to get back with me.

Not sure if that means anything to anyone else or not.

[GHEzell]

Made in India is not usually a sign of quality as far as knife blades go. I have owned a few and the quality was...mediocre. Some may be better than others. I would be wary.

[WBE]

A guy brought me an Indian Damascus blade to HT for him. I couldn't even get it to harden in water.

[soundmind]

My Damascus blades from crazy crow say "Pakistan." I called to see if they had been heat treated, too. She told me they were. I was concerned b/c I could drill pretty easily the rivet holes on the tang to make them bigger.
I'm new at this but if the tang is that soft, then the blade probably is, too, right? But then again the Damascus pattern is only on the blade and isn't on the tang. I don't know, can there be a difference of hardness between the blade and the tang on the same piece of steel?

[Bbs383ci]

If your going to use premade blanks for knives go to jantz and look at their line of premade blanks they are professionaly heat treated and cryoed, I've used a bunch of them, they are well made and need minimal attention before putting handles on them. Their Damascus is well made I've used a few of them expensive and you will probably need to flatten the tang before you are able to put handles on them. This is one I did using a Damascus blade.

[Ray Rogers]

The tang is plain steel and welded on to the damascus blade. They do this to save money since the handle area won't really be visible after the knife is finished.

In such cases as that, the tang area is usually not hardened in order for it to be easier to drill holes in it and to make it tougher rather than hard like the blade. This alone does not guarantee that your blade has been heat treated but I think it is most likely that it was. The real question is what type of steel was used to make the damascus and was the heat treat done properly for those steels ? Some of the Paki stuff is all right but most of it proves to old adage that you get what you pay for ...

[Cthulhu]

Plus, to me, blades welded to tangs just means weak spots.

[R. Yates]

Alabama Damascus has two types of blades one is a blank that needs ground and finished out 100% The other one is finished for you and all you do is complete the fit and finish work IE (handle material and pins) .

Their Damascus is 100% true Damascus (patten welded steel) and functions very well . I have finished both types out in years ago.

For the more advanced Smith there is even the plain billets the third type (a solid Chunk Bar ) that requires you to forge it out a bit so you can make your own design of knife.

NO I do not work for AD I just know the owner and do recommend the Co for both beginners Mid and adventurous type folks.

[argel55]

Alabamas blades are the real deal. I had a friend that got one of his bowies and I put a guard and handle on it for him. he took it to Argentina and did some hog stabbing. Performed excellent.
Rockwell on it was 58.