San Mia

Freds Edge

Well-Known Member
I was wondering what steels are used in the production of San Mia blades , this interests me but I have not found much info on the subject . If anyone could recommend some literature or videos I would greatly appreciate the info.
 
From a forging standpoint it can be from simple to complex. Simple being 10XX steels laminated, to complex being Mosaic damascus cores with 400 series SS laminates (usually 410 or 416). The simpler side has the advantage of being easy to weld, but the down side is that there isn't much variance/eye appeal. On the other side, the highly visible combinations such as Damascus/Mosaic cores with SS laminates can be very tricky to weld successfully, and require some more advanced techniques.

Since you're just starting out, I would encourage just trying to laminate some simple carbon steels to "get the feel" of how it works. I've tried making San-Mai without using my press or air hammer, and I can tell you that doing it that way is VERY challenging, and the success rate for me was very low. :)

I suspect the reason why you don't find much info on it is due to the fact that the methods and techniques can be very subjective, and vary greatly from individual to individual. Of the handful of folks that I know who produce nice San-Mai steel, it seems that each has a different method of achieving success.
 
You can also try forge welding wrought iron to a core of a 10XX steel. The grade of the wrought iron may give you problems with lower grades wanting to crumble on you. You will also have to work the bar at near welding temperatures to help keep things from coming apart. I don't know where I read that wrought iron was easy to work with but I've found it to be a pain in the neck, especially when it starts to thin out. However, if you are successful you can etch the final product to give an interesting texture to the blade. As Ed said, there are several ways to attack the problem. You may want to try a Google search for san mia and see if you can find threads where others have made san mia blades.

Doug
 
I thank you guys for the good info , you guys are the best. I think for the time being I will work on producing some good and sound forged blades and develop a good forging technique with a lot of practice . One thing at a time.
 
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