Subject: HELP, what are good steels for Damascus?

From: [email-masked] (Robert Ofarrell Bankston)
Date: 8 Dec 1996 02:32:12 GMT

I've got a problem.  I'm interested in forging Damascus/pattern welded
blades but I am having lots of trouble acquiring good steels locally.  I
checked with the local foundry for stuff like 1095, W1, etc. but they said
that all of that was special order stuff and would incur extra charges. 
So it looks like I'm going to have to use recycled materials.  I need some
steels which fit into these 3 categories:

1.  Relatively available from recycled materials. I don't want to have to
    search over half the state for the stuff.
2.  Yield a halfway decent contrast for the pattern
3.  Not be overly difficult for the novice to forge.  

Also the blade I'm constructing will NOT be functional but is to be
constructed entirely for its appearance.  Anyone got any suggestions?  Thanks.

Rob
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Luke Kilpatrick)
Date: 11 Dec 96 02:49:41 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] says...
>[email-masked]
	Hi Rob. I'd say that category 1 will probably be far enough. Since you 
aren't interested in hardness or edgeholding, let's make the ground layers (the 
darkest lines in the pattern,) out of plain old mild steel. You probably walk 
past 50 pounds of scrap mild steel every day, but you can get it at any welding 
 or metal shop, too.
	Basically, the higher the alloy, the lighter the etched layer in the 
pattern. In the easily worked, mostly plain carbon steels, you could use mild 
steel (usually 1018) as the low end, some spring steel (5160 or 5168) either 
>from  junkyard leaf springs or junkyard coil springs as a medium lustre 
component, and some worn out files from a flea market (10125) as the high alloy 
(brightest) layers of metal.
	I assume you know that the metal must be cleaned up and prepared, that 
the fire must be reducing, and that damascus is a sweaty and none too clean 
affair.
	Don't get too happy adding layers of the bright metal to the mix. 
Remember, if you add equal parts dark, medium, and light layers, and distribute 
them evenly, you'll end up with lots of contour lines, but almost no 
definition. Plan ahead for the internal topography of the finished piece 
though, and you can use darker mixtures alongside lighter ones, and then accent 
them with "grabber layers" of pure bright high carbon steel. 
	Using just those steels I've mentioned, any competent smith who has 
made any damascus could produce a superior knife. If it's your first time out, 
spend some time just welding mild steel together. The process is the same, it's 
tricky, and the practice won't waste the file steel you've so carefully 
smoothed and polished...
	Persevere! Tool grade steel or not, making this stuff is an awesome 
experience