ironarmknives
Bladesmith & Forum Owner/Moderator
i got this done yesterday its still not what i want but getting there this is 20"+ 1 1/2 wide .200 thick
20" billet
- Thread starter ironarmknives
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McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Dang NICE Billet!!!!! I'm curious about something, most every billet of damascus I've seen is in the .2 range of thickness, I have seen some a little thicker but very little, I think there was 1 at BLADE that I believe Chad Nichols had for sale, all the rest is so thin it kinda scares me to think about working with it. I like the extra thickness to give me room for mistakes....I guess if I'm worried about mistakes I don't need to be using damascus, huh!?!? I know that making Damascus wastes a lot of steel, I also know that making it thinner stretches the billet longer so the maker can sell it reasonably and get more yield. Is that the only reason why most of all I see is so thin? Or are there other reasons I not taking into consideration? Thanks, Rex
ironarmknives
Bladesmith & Forum Owner/Moderator
Rex i like my damascus about .250 because i make a lot of bowies and bigger knives i like starting thick with damascus
because the more you grind the better it looks to me and as for making it depends on "me making it how thick it is" or should i say the damascus GODS LOL,half the time I'm just glad i have a billet at all LOL when doing a random pattern there easy fold until you have you layer count draw out to the thickness you want ,when you cut say the latter pattern i started with .750 billet cut .250 groves in
the billet on each side then drew it out to about .250 then after cleaning the billet grinding it flat it turned out to be
about .200 a little thin for me being this is 20" long
billet it would of made a great short sword dagger billet if it would of turned out a little wider like 2" not 1 1/2 i would of made a kitchen knife so anyways dont be afraid of the damascus its just a piece of steel have fun and remember
there are no mistakes to a bladesmith -knife maker just a design change LOL alot of people wont buy a billet if they have to grind it thinner maybe its because i make it, grinding it is no big to me i dont like making thin billets but i'm a baby when it
comes to making billets and if i had a surface grinder then i would make thiner billets for pocket knives etc.... but for
now grind
baby grind LOL , i've been trying new patterns and you loose alot of billets and they don't turn out the way you want but they most of the time make a knife and with damascus there always derf. so as long as it dosen't have any flaws they work LOL its like xmas every time you finish sometime you get that rifle for xmas sometimes you get the sling shot
sometime nothing LOL
because the more you grind the better it looks to me and as for making it depends on "me making it how thick it is" or should i say the damascus GODS LOL,half the time I'm just glad i have a billet at all LOL when doing a random pattern there easy fold until you have you layer count draw out to the thickness you want ,when you cut say the latter pattern i started with .750 billet cut .250 groves in
the billet on each side then drew it out to about .250 then after cleaning the billet grinding it flat it turned out to be
about .200 a little thin for me being this is 20" long
billet it would of made a great short sword dagger billet if it would of turned out a little wider like 2" not 1 1/2 i would of made a kitchen knife so anyways dont be afraid of the damascus its just a piece of steel have fun and remember
there are no mistakes to a bladesmith -knife maker just a design change LOL alot of people wont buy a billet if they have to grind it thinner maybe its because i make it, grinding it is no big to me i dont like making thin billets but i'm a baby when it
comes to making billets and if i had a surface grinder then i would make thiner billets for pocket knives etc.... but for
now grind
baby grind LOL , i've been trying new patterns and you loose alot of billets and they don't turn out the way you want but they most of the time make a knife and with damascus there always derf. so as long as it dosen't have any flaws they work LOL its like xmas every time you finish sometime you get that rifle for xmas sometimes you get the sling shot
sometime nothing LOL
Last edited:
McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Clint thanks for the
reply, I had hoped you didn't take any offence to my post, I certainly didn't
mean any. After I posted it, I re-proofed it again, and it sounded a little off to
me, so if you saw what I saw, I apologize.
I have been studying about Damascus for a while and your pattern there looks
similar one I want to try once I get my welds down, it's one I read about in one of Jim Hrisoulas' books, I think it was "The Pattern Welded Blade", but don't
quote me, I have "The Complete Blade Smith" as well, I sometimes get them
mixed up together. Anyway, the pattern I'm referring to is (I think) called the
"Pool and Eye" pattern, it kinda...sorta, looks like wood to some, or so I read.
The technique used with that one has the maker drilling various size holes into a straight laminate billet, of different depths. Depending on the desired thickness
of the end billet. I said all of that to ask this, in your billet, you have what looks,
to me, like you used the drilling method on part of it and also you have what
looks like a Ladder Pattern at the edge, which I might add is freakin awesome!!! If this isn't the way you got this pattern, would you mind explaining how you
did?
I understand your philosophy on treating a Damascus billet just like you treat
any steel, and that would be my problem, instead of seeing the blade in my mind like I normally do, I'd be thinking,
"DON'T MESS UP, DON'T MESS UP!!!!" I still consider myself a newb and with
an unexpected 4 month absence from the shop, I'd be sure to destroy it!
I know A LOT about design changes, the problem with my design changes is
there isn't usually enough steel left to make a knife! When I screw one up, I
screw it ALL the way UP!!!
Thanks Bud, I appreciate you sharing your time, Rex
reply, I had hoped you didn't take any offence to my post, I certainly didn't
mean any. After I posted it, I re-proofed it again, and it sounded a little off to
me, so if you saw what I saw, I apologize.
I have been studying about Damascus for a while and your pattern there looks
similar one I want to try once I get my welds down, it's one I read about in one of Jim Hrisoulas' books, I think it was "The Pattern Welded Blade", but don't
quote me, I have "The Complete Blade Smith" as well, I sometimes get them
mixed up together. Anyway, the pattern I'm referring to is (I think) called the
"Pool and Eye" pattern, it kinda...sorta, looks like wood to some, or so I read.
The technique used with that one has the maker drilling various size holes into a straight laminate billet, of different depths. Depending on the desired thickness
of the end billet. I said all of that to ask this, in your billet, you have what looks,
to me, like you used the drilling method on part of it and also you have what
looks like a Ladder Pattern at the edge, which I might add is freakin awesome!!! If this isn't the way you got this pattern, would you mind explaining how you
did?
I understand your philosophy on treating a Damascus billet just like you treat
any steel, and that would be my problem, instead of seeing the blade in my mind like I normally do, I'd be thinking,
"DON'T MESS UP, DON'T MESS UP!!!!" I still consider myself a newb and with
an unexpected 4 month absence from the shop, I'd be sure to destroy it!
I know A LOT about design changes, the problem with my design changes is
there isn't usually enough steel left to make a knife! When I screw one up, I
screw it ALL the way UP!!!
Thanks Bud, I appreciate you sharing your time, Rex
ironarmknives
Bladesmith & Forum Owner/Moderator
Rex, PM sent