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The Damascus Forum The art and study of Damascus steel making.

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  #1  
Old 08-12-2010, 08:53 AM
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dbalfa dbalfa is offline
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Question first-timer in need of quidance

I am not making damascus but using some for stock-removal for the first time.
I purchased a billet and now have gotten three blades rough ground to 60g. I figured now is a good time to get some advice before I screw anything up:

1: to what grit should I finish the blades prior to HT?

2: the maker supplied HT guide, which I'm sure is sufficient. However, any advice is appreciated on that part. It is Alabama Damascus random billet, .170 thick. I have a digital electric furnace and was planning to use the mineral oil mixture I use for 01 to quench. Sound good?

3: these will be "using" blades so what would be the best temper regimen?

4: I am sure you etch after HT, also assume you etch after handle attachment- correct? - see #5

5: how does one get the damascus pattern to show on the tang between slabs? I finish my slabs after they are permanantly attached to the knife - that proves problematic as far as I can figure it.

6: how / when do you apply the electrical etched maker's mark?

7: Is it "ethical" to do that on a purchased billet blade? I have no way to credit the maker of the billet otherwise. I would of course note the maker in any sale advertisement. Is anything else warrented?

Thank you gentlemen!


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  #2  
Old 08-12-2010, 03:05 PM
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SVanderkolff SVanderkolff is offline
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Hmm
Well I will tackle a few of these.
1. for a working blade I would finish them to 220 or 400 before heat treat. Scratches will show through the etching so if you don't want it to show in the end then you need to get rid of it early.
4. etching is normally done before handle attachment otherwise you will be putting the handles into the etchant which will probably not be a good idea.
5. there are really two choices for this. either you don;t worry about the etch on the tang potion which is fairly normal for a working knife or you can fit the slabs without permanantly attaching then attach after etching . The second is fairly tricky so if this is a first knife I would suggest you not worry about the etch on the tang. Once you have etched the blade make sure yo wrap the blade and ricasso in tape otherwise you are sure to touch it with sandpaper.
7. putting your name on a knife that is made from someone elses billet is fine. I always try and mention whose damascus it is in the description but as long as you are starting from a billet it is not considered a problem. That being said there are as many opinions on this as there are knifemakers if not more.
6. I normally etch my name on as one of the last steps. Until you are almost complete you can't know that it is a knife you want your name on.

Hope that helps
Steve


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  #3  
Old 08-14-2010, 01:17 AM
CWKnifeman CWKnifeman is offline
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Dennis,
1. I always tell folks that send me blades to heat treat to stop at 220 grit. After heat treat start out with 220 grit again and then go to 320, then 400, and then 600 grit. Then you can hand sand with 600 up to 1000 or even finer. As you said that these were to be using knives I would stop at 400 grit and then leave it at that.

2. When you Heat treat Brad's damascus set your oven to 1550 once the temp comes up to temp then place the blade into the oven for 8 to 11 minutes. Make sure that you palce a piece of welding type steel in the oven and pull it out when the oven gets around 1250 to 1300 degrees and place it into the oil to warm it up to temperature for the oil quench.

3. I have been using Brad's damascus for over ten years and I temper his damascus at 385 to 400 degrees F. for 2 hours, also I normally do 3 tempers on all of my blades. Tempering Brad's Damascus at this temp should give you about a 57 + or - 1/2 rockwell. This will actually give you a good using hardness, one where the owner can sharpen the blade and bring the knife back to a hair poppin edge.

4. Do the etch on the damascus prior to putting the handles on as Steve said. Beads Damascus work well with either Ferric Chloride, or Sulfuric Acid. Use a 25% solution and do not leave it in long without checking, Nuteralize in a Baking soda solution (1 Tablespoon per quart).

5. Once the handle is assembled, turned over, and finished you can etch the damascus tang that shows using a Q-tip; just keep using the acid to the tang until you get everything to match (best thing is to grind the tang all the way to the tip of the blade that way the etch will be more uniform.

6. Depending on how dark the etch turns out you might want set the etcher to Etch and then either leave it bright, or mark it after you first etch it that way the darkness of the mark is even.

7. Yes it is ethical to place your mark on the damascus even if you did not make the billet yourself.

I hope that this helps. If you run into any problems just shoot me an e-mail.
Curtis


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  #4  
Old 08-14-2010, 09:41 AM
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dbalfa dbalfa is offline
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I shall take your advice and give thanks in return - Thank you Gentlemen!

I got the blades HT and tempered, did my clean-up work and was about to go get some acid (if I can find some) and I thought- what if I etch my mark on the blade prior to acid etching the blade? Would that work -seems like the acid would then etch into my mark making it dark and noticable...or it could be a disaster....any anybody tried that?


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  #5  
Old 08-14-2010, 11:25 AM
deker deker is offline
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A few more comments. I've got a page on finishing damascus on my website to give you some finishing guidance. To answer a few of your other questions:
  • I finish and etch my blades before handle attachment usually. On a full-tang knife this can be a bit of a pain as has been mentioned. If you use corby bolts for your handles, make up a set for fitting with the heads ground down thin and slotted to be screwed and unscrewed. Then if you put a VERY fine bevel on the edge of the scales and the tang (just taking the edge off with 00 grit on a stick or something) and it will help to reduce any edges that might catch a nail after re-assembly. Alternately, you can mask off the handle material after final assembly with nail polish and dunk the whole knife into the etchant. This CAN backfire if you're not really careful, but I have done it before.
  • I always etch my maker's mark before etching the blade for pattern. Once it's etched, there will be low spots that your electrolyte solution can run into and make your mark fuzzy. Etch it before pattern etching and if you want it to stand out, fill the etched bit with a resist like nail polish before etching for pattern. Then you can clean out the maker's mark with acetone after the final etch.

-d
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  #6  
Old 12-15-2011, 03:58 PM
ReverendPDP ReverendPDP is offline
 
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This subject is very pertinent to me as I'm looking at my first Damascus project. I got what I think is a cheaper damascus blade blank. I loved the blade but hated the handle, so I put it to the grinder to create a nicer shape. Now my scales are done (stag with a red spacer).
The problem is that I've never etched Damascus with Ferric Chloride or Sul. Acid. Where can I get info on doing this? Basically I just need to etch the whole area between the scales. Can I do this with a Q tip? How long do I leave the solution on for?

Any help would be great....
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blade, damascus, damascus blade, digital, heat treat, knife, knives, maker's mark, scales, tang


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