Damascus
- Thread starter Rick Otts
- Start date
C Craft
Well-Known Member
Not an expert here by any means as I have never used Damascus or made any.
However I would think it would depend upon the steels that make up the Damascus itself!! Steel is heat treated under the premise that each steel has its own parameters in which it will work and harden as well as HT!
There are guys who do Damascus all the time so maybe one of them will chime in!
However I would think it would depend upon the steels that make up the Damascus itself!! Steel is heat treated under the premise that each steel has its own parameters in which it will work and harden as well as HT!
There are guys who do Damascus all the time so maybe one of them will chime in!
HHH Knives
Super Moderator
C Craft is 100% correct. The heat treatment will vary depending on the steels used in the damascus. So lets say that the piece is 1095 and 15n20. With the majority of the bar 1095 likely around 80% With the 15n20 making up 20% In this situation I would heat treat the bar as if it were 1095 steel.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
Adding to what's already been said... One of the big reasons that 15N20 is such a good "partner" for a damascus mix is the fact that it's essentially 1075 steel with the addition of 1.5% nickel. What this means is that its very much like forge welding two simple carbon steels. And as has been mentioned, the heat treating is very much as if the entire billet were a single carbon steel. Of course adjustments MIGHT need to be made in both the hardening and tempering to achieve the desired results.
For those who are newer to creating damascus, a very important aspect that must be considered is... what I call "compatibility" of the steels being combined. Every steel has specific expansion and contraction characteristics....meaning that they expand a given amount when heated, and contract a given amount when cooled. If a person arbitrarily combines two or more steels in a damascus billet, without considering the expansion/contraction properties of each individual steel, it can easily become a train wreck. If one steel expands or contracts more then the other, on the mild end it causes warpage. In severe instances, a damascus billet can literally tear itself apart....usually during the hardening/quenching operation, which is easily the most "violent" thing that steel goes through during the knifemaking process.
Personally I choose to use 1080/1084 and 15N20 for the majority of my damascus making. With the exception of the 1.5% nickel in 15N20, the two steels are nearly identical, both in make up, and in their expansion/contraction properties. I look at from the standpoint of not having to make things any harder for myself then necessary, within the realm of achieving my desired end goals. Forging these two steels creates very solid, trouble free billets, and allows me to do more complex manipulations then would be possible with mixes of steel that are less "compatible".
For those who are newer to creating damascus, a very important aspect that must be considered is... what I call "compatibility" of the steels being combined. Every steel has specific expansion and contraction characteristics....meaning that they expand a given amount when heated, and contract a given amount when cooled. If a person arbitrarily combines two or more steels in a damascus billet, without considering the expansion/contraction properties of each individual steel, it can easily become a train wreck. If one steel expands or contracts more then the other, on the mild end it causes warpage. In severe instances, a damascus billet can literally tear itself apart....usually during the hardening/quenching operation, which is easily the most "violent" thing that steel goes through during the knifemaking process.
Personally I choose to use 1080/1084 and 15N20 for the majority of my damascus making. With the exception of the 1.5% nickel in 15N20, the two steels are nearly identical, both in make up, and in their expansion/contraction properties. I look at from the standpoint of not having to make things any harder for myself then necessary, within the realm of achieving my desired end goals. Forging these two steels creates very solid, trouble free billets, and allows me to do more complex manipulations then would be possible with mixes of steel that are less "compatible".