Small Pattern Welded "Damascus" Steel Kife (With NO Power Hammer)

Intro: Small Pattern Welded "Damascus" Steel Kife (With NO Power Hammer)

I've been into blacksmithing for a little under a year now, and now that I've finally managed to make and acquire adequate tools, I've been able to really start making things (my initial setup was using a small sledge hammer for an anvil and beating on it with a smaller hammer). This project is an Instructable on how to make a small, forged–not stock removal, knife with only a homemade forge, anvil, a hammer, and determination. I am by no means a professional, and this is definitely not the only way to achieve pattern-welded steel, but it is how I managed it.

Modern damascus steel is a name for what is also known as pattern welded steel, which is the metal equivalent of folding different colors of clay together to get swirly patterns. When placed in an etching compound, the dissimilar metals will etch at different rates, bringing out the beautiful contrast.The original Damascus steel was made with a different and very specific process (though similar-looking, which is why the modern definition arose) that precious few know how to achieve, and gave Damascus the reputation of near magically strong properties. The reason for this is similar to Katanas/Samurai swords–the process allowed for a much more homogenous and therefore controlled steel than other methods allowed, making it possible to turn fairly crappy and varying grades of high/low carbon steel into a controlled substance. This yielded a much more effective blade.

**This knife is dangerous, don't get stab-happy**

STEP 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

- Two or more steels (preferably high carbon) which will contrast each other. I used 1095, a very high carbon steel, and 15n20, a steel with a lot of nickel in it, which will offer bright and shiny contrast when etched.

- Flux (Borax, can be bought at the grocery store. Traditional "20 mule team Borax" will be perfectly fine.

- Rebar, long scrap rod (to be welded onto the billet as a handle)

- Wood of choice for handle

- Epoxy (5 minute is fine)

- Brass Pins

- Finishing medium for handle, I used Linseed oil

- Quenching oil (vegetable oil)

- Ferric Chloride

Tools:

- Anvil (Preferably a "proper" steel anvil, though with enough persistence there are many other objects you could use if you don't have access to one. Things that can be used are: RR Track pieces, Big hammers, Random metal chunks, crappy "anvils" from Harbor freight, a big hard rock, really any hard and flat surface. Remember, we started out by hitting things with rocks on top of bigger rocks.)

- Hammer (I used a 3 pound cross-pein)

- Tongs

- Welder (optional, but helps to hold the billet together and onto the handle for the initial weld. If no welder, wrap the pieces tightly with wire)

- Forge *Capable of reaching forge-welding temperatures* – this is very important in order to successfully fuse the layers together. I'll explain more about my forge later.

- Belt grinder/files and a ton of patience

- Oven/method of tempering

- Drill/Drill press

- Vise (very helpful)

STEP 2: Assemble the Billet

Cut your steels into the desired dimensions. I chose about 1/2" x 3"; the bigger the billet, the harder it is to form with a hammer. Be sure to remove all oxidation and scale off the sides of the metal so a clean weld can be made. Alternately stack the layers, I used 7–3 15n20 and 4 1095.

Then, align them all and tack weld the layers together (Don't look closely at my welds) and weld a temporary handle on so that it can be moved in and out of the forge easier. Not a big deal, especially after the first weld, tongs can just be used. I accidentally hammered mine off anyway.

STEP 3: Forge the First Weld.

About my forge: My forge is homemade. It is made from an EMPTY (bought new for extra precaution) propane tank, lined with 2" Kaowool and a layer of refractory cement. It is heated by a Ron-Reil style burner, for which there is an excellent instructable already existing. This forge is fairly small and has no problem getting to the proper temperatures.

Heat up the billet to a low cherry-red. It doesn't need to be super hot here. Sprinkle the borax on and let it melt and seep between the layers. What this does is it dissolves scale, prevents oxidation, and keeps oxygen from contacting the metal. This will all help achieve a clean weld.

Replace the billet in the forge and repeat this process a couple times, being sure to brush scale off when needed. Now heat the billet up to forge-welding temperature. I'm not sure of the exact temperature, but I believe it is around 23-2400 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be a very bright orange-yellow, even in moderate to bright light. Be sure to have your hammer and tongs ready along with a clear workspace, as you can't waste any time. Quickly move to the anvil, and with LIGHT blows, gently hammer evenly over the whole billet to set the initial weld. Replace in the forge and heat it up to the same temperature again, then continue welding it with moderate to hard blows.

Now it's time to draw it out (stretch it) so that it can be folded.

STEP 4: Fold That Billet

Now it's time to increase the layer-count. Hammer the billet out into roughly twice the original length, making sure to hammer all sides so you lengthen it, not just spread it out. Measure halfway and cut it with a hot-cut hardy, chisel, or any other method you have about 3/4 to 4/5 of the way through. Then bend it backwards with the hammer over the edge of the anvil, flip it over and gently tap it all the way onto itself, making sure to turn it on its side to align it.

Now repeat the exact process of the first forge-weld. Flux, heat, set, heat, weld, forge. Repeat this step until you have your desired layer count. I folded it 4 times to achieve a layer count of 112. (If you want to do more, go ahead, it will have a tighter pattern. If you want to calculate the number of layers for any given number of folds, use your initial layer count (7) times 2^number of folds. 7 x 2^4 = 112)

I then put it in the vise at forge-welding temperatures and gave it a nice twist, which I then forged back into a rectangular billet. Before twisting, however, knock off the corners to achieve an octagonal to circular shape, because twisting and forging back into itself could create inclusions and impurities if it folds over onto itself while not at welding temperature.

Once finished welding (I did it several times along the way, too) cool it off and grind one end slightly to make sure a homogenous billet has been achieved. When forging, especially early on, it is important to keep the temperature high and be carful, otherwise it is easy to tear the layers apart (Called delaminating–not good).

STEP 5: Concept and Rough-forging the Shape

Plan out the profile of your knife and then rough-forge in the shape. The more accurate you can be while forging the profile and bevels, the less time you'll spend at the grinder (or files, shudder...). There are plenty of tutorials by much better blacksmiths than I, so I won't really get into forging techniques. The easiest thing to remember is it moves exactly like a dense clay when hot, you push it into the direction you wish.

STEP 6: Grind the Profile, Start Filing

Fine-tune the profile with the grinder and files. Grab a big drink, you'll likely be there for a while filing unless you have a very nice grinder.

STEP 7: File Some More, Start Forgetting Who You Are and Pondering Life Itself. . .

STEP 8: FINALLY, Done With the Profile.

Once filing is done, sand it to a fairly high grit, I took it to about 400. File the edge close to, but not all the way sharp. You want a little bit of material on the edge so it doesn't warp in heat-treating. Now drill a couple holes for the pins and trace it to make patterns for the handle.

STEP 9: The Scary Part

Heat Treating.

This is the part that will either make or break your blade. It's very important to focus and be very careful or you could end up warping or shattering your blade. The process I used is not the most precise way of heat-treating, but it's what I was capable of with my tools and it was the best oil I could get.

Before the heat treat, normalize the blade. This releases stresses built up during forging and twisting and will decrease the likelihood of warping during the quench. To do this, heat the blade up to above its critical temperature (where it isn't magnetic anymore, it's helpful to keep a large magnet around), then let it air cool. Repeat this 3-5 times, I did 5. This step also helps you practice removing the blade from the forge, because there can be no hesitation when moving to the quench. These are the pictures of me dangling the knife. This part is also cool, because as oxidation builds up it will start to reveal the pattern of the steel.

The Quench: Heat it up one more time to above its critical temperature, then quickly move and quench it, edge-first, in warm vegetable oil (if similar steel to mine). To heat the oil, simply heat up a piece of scrap metal and toss it into the oil. I used a RR spike. Gently move it around so you get an even quench. If you're using a high carbon steel, DO NOT quench it in water, as this could crack your blade–water cools it off much too quickly for high-carbon steels.

Now, treat it like a piece of glass, because if it was hardened correctly it is so hard that it could shatter if you drop it.

Time for tempering.

STEP 10: Tempering

Tempering is the process of drawing out some hardness to increase the durability and strength of the blade. This is achieved by heating the blade to specific controlled temperatures. I tempered mine in the oven for 1 and a half hours at 400 Degrees Fahrenheit. A lot like baking, you cook it until it's "done."

STEP 11: Etch the Blade

I apologize for the lack of pictures of this and the following steps, but the process here is fairly simple. Dilute the Ferric Chloride as specified on the container and then marinade the blade in it for the length of time it recommends. For me it was 3 parts water to 1 part Ferric Chloride for 3-5 minutes. This is the really exciting part, the result looks like something Batman would carry.

STEP 12: Handle and Hone the Edge

There are plenty of instructions and methods on how to handle a knife as well as sharpen it, so I won't go into much detail here. I used two Cherry scales adhered with 5 minute epoxy and held in place with two brass pins. Sanded to 400 grit, finished with linseed oil.

I don't have a very robust sharpening process/setup, so I mainly used a basic oil stone.

STEP 13: Time to Pat Yourself on the Back, It's Finally Finished.

My finished knife was about 6 inches long. It's quite fun to show people, most have no idea how that pretty swirling pattern got there.

Thank you for reading, I hope this helps anybody it can!

If you enjoyed this and want to see more of my work (including Damascus!) make sure to check out my instagram at www.instagram.com/AntonsenForge :)

Comments

[Brucesgal68]

I am going to try an experiment using foil thickness 1095 steel and foil titanium and then stainless. layer it to 1 inch thickness and arc weld in several locations along the now bar.
Then I am going to start with heating to 2,800 and starting the cut back and fold and draw out. Grind, then draw out again. Doing this I start with 200 layers, then 400, then 600. To make sure the welds are good I will heat very carefully and hammer softly. Has anyone every experimented with this before?

[klemire4235]

I had a quick question, i am a metal fabricator/welder and i wanted to try my hand at a billet but no where can i find what filler metal to use when welding up the ends of the billet. Help please?

[tjhough]

The filler metal can just be regular mild steel filler the point of welding the end is so it holds together for the forge welding process and can honestly be ground off later if wanted

[DamascusSword247]

Also, I make knives in a small stove and hope to upgrade to a real forge. Thank much I really want to MAKE THIS KNIFE.

[DamascusSword247]

I love making Knives, and always wondered how people made that "damascus" look, thank you for the help.

[RobertA331]

I suck at math, explain the layer count 7X4 = 28 layers how do you get 112?

[JeffN87]

I can see your confusion here

He started with 7 layers and folded it 4 times. Each time he folded it the layers in creased by double so....

First fold
7x2=14

Second cold
14x2=28

Third fold
28x2=56

Fourth fold
56x2=112

[Watisituya]

The folds increase the amount of layers, each fold you multiply by 2. So fold once you now have 14 layers, fold again (14x2) you now have 28 etc...

[steffin121]

Is there a reason you didn't or don't use annealing after you finished initial shaping? I learned this in a course I took. Once you have your basic shape done, you heat the blade to annealing temperature, then slow cool it to room temp using a bucket of pure wood ash (no coals, only the white powder). Afterwards, the grinding or shaving process is almost as easy as working crap steel.

The second you reheat it again, the hardness comes back.

It is possible using multiple steels would have inconsistent results, but mostly I'm curious if this is intentional, or if perhaps I can make your life easier in the future. (I'm fairly new to this myself).

[astrong0]

So he went the route of doing a series of normalizing cycles. This produces the same effect as annealing does. You take your steel and heat it to the critical temp and let it cool in air. This makes the martensitic needles of the steel, and the cementite boundaries dissolve and gives you a smaller grain structure. After five or six times you can usually get the same softness as properly annealed steels. True and proper annealing takes expensive equipment. God forbid you have something like s7 steel. It’s got a weird annealing cycle that must be regulated with 50 degrees of the critical temp and allowed to cool for HOURS with a drop in temp no more than a few degrees per hour. It’s maddening. But your standard cool off in ashes is pretty good for run-of-the-mill 1070 or 1095. Unless you are running tool steels or other specialty steel the ash bucket or normalizing cycles work just fine.

[ChristinaJ41]

What do you mean by "knock off the corners" before twisting? I wasn't able to picture what you meant. In my mind, I'm seeing a flat, rectangular billet with one end placed in the vise and twisted, then removed, reheated, and pounded flat. Not sure what needs to be knocked down. Unless you mean that it needs to be rounded into a rod instead of a flat rectangle first to completely eliminate any edges? Thanks, can't wait to try this!!

[astrong0]

Aye, I gotchu. So you take a square upon your anvil face and turn it 45 degrees so it’s standing on a corner. Hit it down so you have a strange hexagon shaped piece now. Then turn that strange hexagon 90 degrees and do the same thing. Now you have an octagon. Tada!

[Crossforge]

Just a litle info on fixing warped blades. Right after quenching you still have a time window of about 1 minute in which you can safely straighten a slightly warped blade with soft hammer blows. (It takes a litlle while for the crystaline structure in the steel to "set" after the quench). I have done this successfully on a number of occations, but it has to be done immediately after the blade is removed from the quenching oil. If you take too long it will crack the blade.

[khillery]

At quench time, the steel are non magnetic, right? One blacksmith show had a country blacksmith state that you should have your quench pan/tank and the blade aligned along the North South magnetic meridian for your area. If you do that......no warpage. The eletromagnetic field of the earth will try to warp the blade as it cools if you don't. It couldn't hurt to try that and easier than straightening.

[Darrone]

There is no science behind this. It's a myth. No different than making blades based on the phases of the moon, or your astrology sign.

[BiscuitMaker]

This is actually a very old myth, in reality the direction in relation to the Earth's poles has no effect on the quench. Crossforge is correct about the window of time, but I believe its much shorter than a minute and depends on the size of the knife.

[JeremiahM40]

Where did you find the metal plates? I am having a hard time locating a reasonable supplier.

Very nice instructable! Gonna make one!

[MrCheatak]

Nice job. Are you working as a blacksmith?
It would be very cool to video capture the whole process.

[justusnu222]

That was awesome! going to the build your own forge after writting this!

[kandkbill]

Nice job ! I would like to add that the main problem I have with students, is that they want to forge weld the billet too soon . the best way I know is to see that the whole billet is transelucent , or the same color through the billet. This will take about five minutes at heat. Also, I have found that if you get a railroad track, add some 1" thick mild steel to both sides of the web,( bolt it through, or weld it ), it will improve the stiffness of the working area. If you can find Wayne Gardord's book" the 50 dollar workshop" , there are many hints that may help some one new to the hobby. W.R. Stroman