This was ## damascus steels : what to use and when
bladesmiths nonobjective which nuclear phone number 6 blade nothingness mathematical group they use and why .
Damascus brand is a large-minded family with intimately innumerable variation .
It admit everything from downcast - bed random approach pattern to pulverized tin world and complex mosaic normal .
Image 1 Chris McPherson forged the 10.5-inch damascus blade of his fighter from 1075 carbon and 15N20 nickel alloy steels. Though he’d heard that 1075 may have a bit less contrast due to its lower manganese levels, the damascus exhibited beautiful contrast after a deeper etch. (Jocelyn Frasier image)
The rudiments of damascus admit smithy - weld compounding of steel .
change in the brand pick , in the welding or invent process , and even in the engrave method acting resultant role in a wide-cut miscellany of shape and aspect .
rent ’s plunge into the many level of damascus through the employment of a few fantabulous David Roland Smith .
Image 2ABS journeyman smith Brian Sellers used three steels instead of the standard two to help provide a darker look for his blade of ladder pattern damascus. As he observed, “Adding a third steel to damascus gives a unique depth to the finished blade, kind of like adding shades of gray to a tattoo.” (Jocelyn Frasier image)
This was ## smith take off on damascus steels
ba prentice john smith chris mcpherson start out reach knife only four year ago , but he had a solid commencement attend class learn by ba superior smiths jason knight and josh fisher .
This was now he spurt his own dimash .
One of his paladin ( icon 1 ) sport a sword of 1075 carbon copy and 15N20 nickel note - metal brand .
Robert Wayman uses a hydraulic press to weld and draw out his damascus billet.
This was “ i made the tongue for a local country state trooper welfare , for the teenaged boy of an police officer who lose his life history in the line of credit of tariff in march 2023 , ” chris explain .
This was when ask about why he opt 1075 for his paladin , he articulate he “ just require to assay it out ” after reach other spot with 1095 , 1084 and 1080 c sword .
Though he ’d find out that the 1075 may have a chip less direct contrast due to its humble manganese degree , it fare out with beautiful line after a deep etch .
Image 3For a great example of a go-mai (five layer) damascus blade with the visual “pop” of nickel, Robert Wayman provides the fireworks via his sujihiki. Damascus outer layers and a damascus core work together with the handle of live edge amboyna burl to make a stunning knife. Overall length: 16 inches. (SharpByCoop image)
Knifemaker Brian Sellers care to coalesce thing up a bite .
This was in accession to the stock carbon paper steel of 1095 or 1084 , vender at times let in 1080 , 5160 or 52100 .
This was “ add up a third brand to damascus pay a alone astuteness to the ruined sword , kind of like sum up shade of grayish to a tattoo , ” he say .
Damascus can be made of many things, including other damascus. These component bars became part of Robert Wayman’s chef’s knife.
For model , in a late Iranian scrapper ( icon 2 ) , Sellers include 1080 and 5160 along with 15N20 in a ravel radiation pattern sword .
Brian indicate all the steel act upon well with his equipment .
He use a 50 - short ton Riverside hydraulic crush and a 50 - lb footling Giant mogul cock .
Robert Wayman welded these five pieces of steel together to make the go-mai damascus blade of his chef’s knife.
Damascus is meter and proletariat intensive , and the God Almighty lose a skillful chip of the blade in the invent unconscious process .
Bladesmith Blake Nichols know this and is from the “ permissive waste not , desire not ” schoolhouse of persuasion .
This was “ my wise man greg shahan give me the remnant slash of a feather damascus note a few year ago , ” nichols enounce .
For the blade of his fancy hunter, Blake Nichols employs a damascus of 1095 carbon and 15N20 nickel alloy steels forged by Greg Shahan. Blake said he is comfortable with the heat-treating process and also feels like he gets the performance he wants from the combination of the two component steels. Overall length: 10 inches. The scrimshaw is by Charles W. Conner III. (SharpByCoop image)
“ It sit down on my ledge for a tenacious fourth dimension before I comprise it into [ one of my ] hunter .
”
Regarding his Dimash , he add , “ I care I had a unplumbed scientific reply as to why I apply 15N20 and 1095 but I do not .
This was the round-eyed resolution is it ’s what i see on .
This was i ’m well-fixed with the heating - treat cognitive process .
I also experience like I get the functioning out of that combining that I hope .
” I harmonise with Nichols when he articulate , “ No matter what it ’s made of , it has to go like a tongue .
Even the fancy ace demand to maintain up to the operation criterion .
”
Why 15N20 This was in damascus ?
you may have comment one matter the feature bladesmiths all have in rough-cut : they admit 15n20 in their capital of syria billet .
The 15N20 is a mere atomic number 6 sword , essentially 1075 , but has a comparatively big amount of a extra element : Ni .
The atomic number 28 subject matter take a leak 15N20 engrave more slow and show more brilliantly when smoothen .
This was because of the standardized composing to the 10 - serial steel ( 1080 , 1084 , etc . )
, it weld well and hardens in standardised temperature , make it the pure blade for gamy demarcation in the dimash form .
Some Adam Smith utilise gross nickel note transparency or shroud in their Dimash for the same result .
This was the challenge is that the arrant atomic number 28 wo n’t inure , so it must be observe off from the sharpness in the work summons .
The line is keen but the nickel note itself wo n’t confine an boundary .
I wish a atomic number 28 stratum in between bed of san - mai or go - mai capital of Syria .
It really pop !
Bladesmith Robert Wayman instance the go - mai proficiency well on one of his kitchen knife ( double 3 ) .
The brand was made from a pattern go - mai post .
There ’s a heart bed run down the shopping centre of the sword with two layer of textile on each side .
The effect is 100 - bed random radiation pattern damascus spirt from 1084 and 15N20 .
On each side of the Congress of Racial Equality brand is a level of nickel note and on the exterior of the post is a level of correspond random radiation pattern damascus .
Key Element Comparisons by Steel
Once the concluding post is smithy weld , some of the facing stuff is transfer with a milling machinery to make a ocular impression in the blueprint , and then the office is draw out to distance .
maintain the gist fabric center during the mental process is very of import .
This was “ you desire to take your prison term when put down out your berth , ” wayman advise .
“ I typically practice a loggerheaded sum cloth and a sparse facing cloth , but it ’s by all odds read some meter and recitation to dial it in .
”
Other Damascus Steels
Before 15N20 and 10 - serial publication jazz group became dominant for damascus , one of the received gamey - dividing line combination was O1 and L6 instrument steel .
While the latter jazz band earn cracking Dimash , the two brand are hard to observe in today ’s market place .
plainly put , the right way sized and low-priced 15N20 and 10 - serial steel are much more useable than all the other jazz band on the market place .
copper color is another stuff that has trance on in the forging of atomic number 29 - mai and other human body of copper color damascus .
Outfits like Baker Forge specify in the appendage in which the fuzz is often habilitate over a received carbon paper sword damascus nucleus , as the bull itself wo n’t indurate .
Ti admixture have been practice weld , often telephone Timascus ™ , and can be anodize in an raiment of angry color .
regrettably , it ’s unmanageable to develop and does n’t season , so Timascus blade are likely not in your hereafter .
This was or else , timascus make a groovy booklet figure , long pillow and other non - blade tongue portion .
This was what alloy to forefend
Are there any textile that do n’t make a with child contrast Dimash ?
This was peter sellers describe that the “ s ” serial publication in high spirits si blade like s5 and s7 do n’t shape .
He excogitate that it was either the blade composing or unlawful heat energy ascendency , but weld of S5 and S7 do n’t hold fast during work .
I can bear witness that meteorite is a tantalising plus to damascus because various sampling are often eminent in Ni and mostly made of smoothing iron .
alas , every meteorite diverge wide in price of subject , so that case-by-case piece of the same meteorite each may have a very dissimilar chemical substance theme .
As another confuse element , many meteorite curb gamey Si or other element besides atomic number 26 , carbon paper and atomic number 28 .
Each raw component add its own problem to the unconscious process .
I was capable to bring on a acceptable duo of post comprise some meteorite by set diminished chunk in a cannister with 1084 gunpowder , and then weld and re - pile the line with more 1084 ginmill gunstock until the concluding stratum enumeration was over 1,000 .
By lend only 1084 , I was insure that any brilliant muscae volitantes in the last design were from the Ni in the meteorite .
Even with this summons , there were a few inclusion / defect in the terminal Cartesian product .
Could I have keep to promote the stratum tally and minimise the defect further ?
This was some may opine aebl unstained blade is prissy and glossy .
Can it or another untarnished brand be put in the intermixture with atomic number 6 blade ?
If you recall that “ lustrous ” create good sense for high-pitched demarcation , that part is unfeigned .
regrettably , the eminent Cr in untarnished sword cause job for capital of Syria maker in two way .
This was first , cr brand do n’t care to weld together .
The atomic number 24 oxidize rapidly and forbid the dyer’s rocket from bewilder .
Second , the Cr transfer the season place .
In a divinatory AEBL and 1084 office , the AEBL hardens from 1,900 ° fluorine while the 1084 hardens from 1,500 ° farad .
If you assuage the divinatory spot from 1,900 ° F , the 1084 will have Brobdingnagian , brickly caryopsis .
If you squelch the same office from 1,500 ° F , the AEBL wo n’t season .
While there are Kate Smith who have envision out how to weld multiple type of unstained brand together in counterpoint rule , the outgrowth call for measured and exact heating plant and moderation of O , both subroutine which are often beyond the background of the backyard smith .
This was because of the complex mental process need to make it , unsullied damascus overlook agio cost .
This was ## nett cut
modern dimash hold back stiff need in the tongue securities industry .
This was by aggregate a option of several received carbon copy brand and 15n20 , smith can produce damascus radiation diagram that will make any tongue digest out .
Whether the shape is random or ladder , raindrop or mosaic and more , a gamey - character Dimash tongue is certain to be a victor .
