BuildsByBaz
Sr Member
I've been knife-making for a while now, but a few months ago a knifemaker friend of mine took the time to instruct me on making my own Damascus steel so I could make a very special knife for myself.
We spent a few hours forging the two steels together in alternating layers, finishing with 300 layers for the complete billet. I'll get two knives out of it.
1. First alternating stack of plates.
2. Pressing the plates together.
3. Fine tuning on the anvil
4. Planning the cuts
5. Grinding the scale off
6. Re-stack
7. Do it again three times for a total of around 300 layers.
8. Clean-up and test-etch to reveal pattern in the billet.
9. Cut billet in half to make first knife. Beat into shape on the anvil.
10. Grind to shape and form.
11 & 12. Test-etch in hot vinegar before hardening and tempering because I'm impatient and wanted to see what it's going to look like. All this will disappear again during the heat treatment, but will be re-etched when finished just before the handle goes on.
We spent a few hours forging the two steels together in alternating layers, finishing with 300 layers for the complete billet. I'll get two knives out of it.
1. First alternating stack of plates.
2. Pressing the plates together.
3. Fine tuning on the anvil
4. Planning the cuts
5. Grinding the scale off
6. Re-stack
7. Do it again three times for a total of around 300 layers.
8. Clean-up and test-etch to reveal pattern in the billet.
9. Cut billet in half to make first knife. Beat into shape on the anvil.
10. Grind to shape and form.
11 & 12. Test-etch in hot vinegar before hardening and tempering because I'm impatient and wanted to see what it's going to look like. All this will disappear again during the heat treatment, but will be re-etched when finished just before the handle goes on.
