damascus quality

[dlpowell]

Looking at damascus blanks on ebay I see cheap ones from India that appear to only have the damascus pattern on the blade portion, not the handle. I question the quality of a blank like this.

I'd like to find a decently priced blank (

 

[blacksmithman64]

Good Luck! Theres too much work that goes into a good damascus blade to be able to get one at that price.I have seen little pen knife blades of good stuff for around 25-30 though. I'm talkin' 1 1/2-2" long

 

[LRB]

The pattern in Damascus is only evident, in any real degree, after the surface is acid etched. That the tang does not show pattern is no indication of quality. That said, I would question the quality because of the source. Some of the India Damascus is OK, but much of it is poor. There are many sources of quality American Damascus, but the only ones I can think of at the moment is that from Delbert Ealy, or Thunderforged. There are likely some makers on this forum that could supply you, but be prepared to pay more than for India imported stuff.

 

[George Kevil]

Try www.knifeandgun.com/
They have all kins if bar stock and blanks made up
George

 

[fatboy]

I belive your link is messed up

 

[Harold1950]

I got it to work by taking out the second "gun" and went to the site............I should say the word gun in the website address...sorry, having a bad spelling day

 

[fatboy]

its ok I fig it out too

 

[George Kevil]

Toooooooo mmmmuuuch ccofffeeeeeeeeee
Sorry Boys

 

[RickD]

What size and style blade are you looking for?

 

[dlpowell]

I'm looking for bar stock I can grind a blade from. Needs to be at least 1/8" thick, 1.75" wide, and no longer than 12".

I know this is in the wrong column. Finished the lancaster yesterday. Haven't even sparked the lock yet. She's long, dark, and slim. I'll post pics in a few days.

 

[RickD]

Let me see what John has forged..

 

[Twice boom]

I dodn't think you'll find quality Damascus under $15.00 per inch maybe even higher for the 1.75 " stuff..
I hope you find some at the price you are willing to pay......
Twice.

 

[dlpowell]

Well I've decided the Damascus will just have to wait. I have an old Nicholson file the teeth have long since dulled. It's 12" long and will be a nice challenge. I'm thinking a 7" blade, 5" curly maple handle.

 

[jmforge]

Indian damascus is usually crap that may not even be made of truly hardenable steel. As for the file, if you are not in a position to anneal it, you are in for a rough ride trying to grind it. You best bet wouldbe to see if some kindly knifemaker would give you a few pieces of 5160, O1 or 1075/80 bar stock to play with. All easy to work and realtively easy to heat treat. You should probably avoid 1095, W2 or W2 as they requires a FAST quench and doing it in water can sometimes lead to the dreaded PING. That will also be a problem with a Nicholson file, because a lot of them were made out of W2 or W1.

 

[LRB]

The Nicholson files can make very good knives. They can be annealed enough to drill, using cobalt bits, file, and work with by simply heating to a red-orange and let air cool. Canola oil, or ATF at 125° will give a decent quench. Of course, not the best, but close enough. I would go for the canola given a choice. Quench at a red-orange heat in dim light. Do not bother with a magnet, you need 50° to 75° more heat above non-magnetic for quenching. A 2 hour x 2 at 450° temper will produce a blade with very good edge holding properties and yet be pretty tough. I would nix the 01. It is not a simple heat treat. 1075/80 would be the best choice for the home craftsman with simple equipment, as it is nearly foolproof in heat treat, but the Nicholson files do very well also.

 

[jmforge]

I have to ask what type of blade you have in mind. If you figure that at least 41/2 inches of that 12 will be taken up by the tang, you are toalking no more than 7 1/2 inches for the blade. At 1 3/4 inches wide, that thing is going to look like a short canoe paddle :grin: