as published knives illustrated april 2009

By MattWalker
A basic
ovendew for
those considering
making their
own Damascus
SaysWalker,"This anvil knife is an experimentI
made with the help of a couple of friends(Alan
Longmireand Mike Adams).I had a bar that was a
spare,so we made one of these knivesfor each of
us-working together.I give credit to RobertMayo
for the idea. I carrythis one daily.lt is not good for
using,but cool for a blacksmithto have."
52
K N I V E S I L L U S T RAT ED . APRIL 2 0 0 9
kni vesi l l ustrated.c om
want to give an overviewof how I
makeDamascussteel,alongwith
someopinionsandideasaboutit.
This is what works in my shopfor
me.
Making Damascusis almosta faithbasedpursuitfor me. If you talk with
severalpeoplethat areseriousabout
you will seewhy I sayit is
Damascus
somewhatlike religion-we areall trying
to get to the sameplace,but often value
differentformalitiesin the practiceof
gettingthere.
My advicefor anyonewantingto start
makingDamascusis to learneverything
you canandusewhatworksfor you.Nobody is born knowing this stuff.At the
end of this articleI will credit someof
the peopleI havelearnedfrom and
I value.
mentionresources
Materials
Matt Walkerin his shop
Most steelsandevenwroughtiron, can
be weldedandmanipulatedto createpatterns.If you put wroughtiron, mild steel
or nickelin theoriginalbillet, you run the
risk of havinglayersthatwon't hardenor
the lowercarbonlayersrobbingfrom the
highercarbonlayers,possiblyresulting
in a bladethatwon't respondproperlyto
heattreatment.
In somecases.like with a tomahawk,in
whicha tool steelbit will be used,softer
only the
layerscanbe acceptable
because
working edgeneedsto be hardened.
I usenickelin my barsonly whenmy
informedcustomersaskfor it. Nickel really doesmakea pieceprettyand,in my
whoeveris payingcanchoose
business,
what materialthey want.
Somesteelsaren'tcompatiblein a billet.
You run the risk of havinga piecetear
apartduringheat-treatdue to radically
differentalloying elementsin the steel,
causingdifferentialratesof expansion
andcontractionunderextremelyquick
temperature
changes.
is 1084
My personalrecommendation
and 15N20.This combinationprovides
everythingI want for a piecethat I can
provideto otherswith confidence.The
1084will be very dark,andwill contrast
nicelywith the 15N20(whichwill be
bright).Thesesteelsaresimilarin compositionandperformwell in heat-treatment,andmakeoutstanding
blades.I also
believethey standup betterto mismanagement(time andtemperatureextremes)
than someothermixes.
Wre rope anda chainsawchainalso
canprovidesomecoolpatterns.While
wire ropeweldsup easily,both it andthe
chainsawchainarehardto complete
withoutsmallflaws.
Technique
This hawk was forgedfrom a ladderpatternbar.The ladderpatternwas distortedaway from
the eye due to the handforging.Finishedand hafted by Roy Carter.
kn iv es il I u s t r a t e d . c o m
Billy Phelps,a talentedblacksmith,
said:"To forge weld requires2,400degreesand 800 poundsper squareinch." I
think it would takelab conditionsto
provethis, but it seemsreasonableto me.
I do know highercarbon-toolsteelswill
than
weld at slightly lower temperatures
mild steel,andwroughtiron needsto be
screaming-hotto weld or evento forge
A coal forge will certainly
successfully.
reachthe requiredtemperature,and I
useit often for welding certaingeneral
K N IV E S ILLU S TR A TE D . A P R IL 2009 53
This hunteris a patternWalkerdevelopedcalled it TennesseeTwirl.He says it's nicer in higherlayercounts.This knife is by Tennesseemaker
John Young(not the John Youngof Utah).He had a little more finishingand cleanupyet to do when this photo was taken.
projects.
For pattern-weldblacksmithing
ed bladesteel,a goodblownpropanefired forgeis hardto beat.
OvermanyyearsI havefoundthe
blownforgeto giveme total controlover
atmosphere,
themostcriticalconcerns:
andtime.
temperature
OnequestionI geta lot is howI know
whenthesteelis ready.ThefirstthingI
wouldsayis thatit is essential
thatyou're
ableto seethework.Seeingtheworkrequiressometypeof eyeprotection,
which
is a wholesubjectitself.I usea Shade3
weldin,e
lens.Usesomekind of eyeprotectionwhenwelding,evenin coal.I
believeif you canseethework,it canbe
bettermanaged.
is thebestteacherasyou
Experience
learntheparticularities
of yourforgeand
in yourshopto
thelightingconditions
therightcolorof thehot metal.
determine
Keepin mindthatwhatever
eyeprotection you choosernayaff'ecthow your
eyesseethecolorof themetalaswell,
For me.whentheflux is violently
thesame
activeandthebilletappears
colorastheinsideof theforge,I wait a
few moreminutesso theheatof insideof
thebilletcancatchup, andthenI apply
pressure.
[t's a feelthatcomesaftermaking a few piecesthatfail.A piecewill not
weldup well if it's toocool,buta long
is not
soaktimeat weldingtemperatures
goodfor thesteel,either.Althoughplastic deformation
andthermalcyclingcan
doneby
repairsomeof thegraindama-ee
overheating,
a piecewith badweldsisn't
is
useable.
Managingthecompromise
partof "the feel."
Flux
Manypeopleuse20 Mule TeamBorax
rightout of thebox.I can'trecommenc
with thatmethod.mostof it
thatbecause.
quicklyhitsthefloor or thebottomof the
fbrge.Anhydrousboraxis a muchbetter
may
alternative,
andall thingsconsidered,
be moreeconomical.
With anhydrous
borax,moreflux stayson the work and
seemsto penetrate
better.so lessis
wasted.
Thereareotherthingsthatcanbe beneficialin f-lux.Hereis a recipefor Super
Flux thatI sharewith permission
from
MS " 15
ChuckRobinson
of Picayune.
PartsBorax.6 PartsBoricAcid, 3 Parts
Iron Oxideand2PartsFluorspar",
I like
thismixturea lot. I haveweldedstainless
with thisflux,
to carbon,in atmosphere,
whichis something
somesaycan'tbe
done.But be wamed- fluorsparisn't
ventilahealthyandonly useit rvith
-eood
protection
tion or properbreathing
I like to usea lot of flux. Considerthat
thejob of flux is to removeoxidesand
trash.I like to seetheflux drippingoff
stuffwith
thebillettakingtheunwanted
it. For me theproperamountis ll'hat
stayson thepieceat weldinstemperature.
Thetimeto introducetheflux is iust
This folder was made by StevenVanderkolff.lt's signedinsideon the back spacer.It's also the TennesseeTwirlpattem but eitherthe bar wasn't
patterneddeep or he grounda lot of it away.I carrythis one. lt's heavybut it is all my steel exceptfor the titaniumliners.
54
K N I V E S I L L U S T RAT ED . APRIL 2 O0 9
kn i vesi l l ustra ted.
c om
pattern"basWalkercallsthisDamascus
ketweave."
beforecolor showsin the work. A faded
red will melt the flux, and that is when it
startsto do its work. Making the weld basicallyrequiresthatenoughpressure
be
appliedto the stackof individualpieces
to force out the flux andmoltenscaleso
that the steelsurfacesarein contactinsidetheweldingtemperature
range.
Therearemanywaysto accomplishthis.
While a handhammerwill certainly
u'ork, a powerhammercanhit it many
moretimeswith the amountof force I
determinewhile at weldingtemperature.
Extreme,hardblowsaren'twhatare
calledfor whenmakingthe weld, but lots
of moderatewell-placedblowsare.The
tasteryou canoverlapthe last blow with
the next one,the better.Whetherpower
or handhammer,the first seriesof overiappingblowsshouldcoverthe centerof
thebillet, andthe next seriesshouldgo
downthe side,overlappingboth the last
blow with the nextone,but alsooverlappingthe previousseriesof centerblows.
Power-hammer
dies shouldnot be flat
tor this work; they needa small amount
of crown in the centerto helppushthe
uashout,not helptrapit. I've found
throughexperiencethat a forging pressis
an evenbetter(cleaner,fasterandmore
consistent)
way to setthe weld.I think
thepressis betterdueto forging dynamics that arebeyondthe scopeof this
paper.
After the weld is set,thereis the problem of drawingout in preparationfor a
ft-rldor a stack.For me, that is accompiishedwith a combinationof the press
andthepowerhammer.The pressis the
brute-forcetool andthe powerhammeris
usedfor finesse.Buildingup layerscanbe
accomplished
eitherby folding to double
eachtime or drawingout andcuttingthe
bar into multiplepiecesandre-welding.
I useboth methods,but typicallydraw
truteroughto cut five or six pieces,then
re-stackthe billet for anotherweldingcy.'ie.Sometimes
I evendo thataeain.Then
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[email protected]
1-8BB-7-KNIVES
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C9rr/rrrn*rr't*rK'rr*rr*&"*a,r"y@rtil"t
www.
TheKnife
oftheInternet
Center
"The Original and Largest
Catalog of Catlery on tne Web"
-6799
800-558
Berwyn
5111
Rd.STE
110
College
Park,
MD20740
K N IV E S ILLU S TR A TE D . A P R IL 2009 55
Walkermade this knifefrom an accordion-cut"W" bar. He forged it to shapeand John Younghelpedfinish it up, along with the engraving.
Handlesare mammothivory.
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sometimeswill bifold or trifold to reacha
predetermined
layer count.Somepatterns
look betterin higherlayersandsomein
lowerlevels.andDamascus
billet customersknow the rangeof layersthey
want the pieceto have.Again, the guy
thatis buyinghasthe conectidea.
I havea McDonaldrolling mill that is
usedfor final forging steps.The mill is
the most efficienttool for working to a
desiredthickness,andit leavesa cleaner.
moreconsistentsurfacethanmy other
forging tools.Many peopleforgeDamascusby hand,but I would neverrecommendit dueto potentialdamageto your
body-and your frustrationlevel.
Justmanaginga moderatelysizedbillet againstthe leverageof a long handle
(necessary
to isolatefrom the heat)can
really hurt your elbowsin a shorttime. I
solvedthisproblemby usinga device
calleda tool balancerto carry the weight
of the workpiece.The tool balancerwas
recommended
by a friend (CharlieMurray),andmay be the singlebestthing I
havefound to helpingto produceDamascus.Whenyou aredoing this for many
hoursa day,severaldaysin a row, anything that makesit physicallyeasierallows you to work longer,fasterand safer.
After the prefenedlayer countis
reached,somethingneedsto be doneto
A billet of radialDamascuswelded up
56
. ApRt L2009
KNIVESILL USTRATED
makea patternhappen,otherwiseyou
etchingI usefenic chloride.Ferricchlowill just havea straightpattern,provided
ride is thebestandsafestetchantfor the
everythinghasgoneasit shouldhaveup
metalsI use.Etchingwill givea good
to this point.
ideaof whatyou havecreatedin all your
Patternsareusuallycreatedby manipu- hoursof hot, dirty work, but the pattern
latingthe steelmechanically
or by stock
won't reallypop until thepieceis
removal.Twistingis an exampleof meproperlyheat-treated
andfinished.
chanicalmanipulation.
Drilling holesor
milling groovesareexamplesof how
Problems
stockremovalfollowed by forging can
exposelayersto createa pattern.DifferIf you havenevermadepattern-welded
entdiescanbe usedto makeimpressions Damascus
before,theoddsareyou will
in the surface,andthenwhentheraised
havesomeproblems,but thegoodnews
areasaremilled away,a patternappears
is theycanbe solved.
in the exposedlayers.
For example,inclusionsareusually
Expectto loseup to two{hirds of the
smallandaresomethingthatwastrapped
materialyou startedwith in grindingout
betweenthelayersduringthe welding
thesestock-removal-developed
patterns.
process.Most likely,theyarescaleor
Remember,
thelastforgingcyclebefore
pocketsof flux thatweren'tdrivenout
patterndevelopment
needsto leavea piece dueto poortechniquewhenmakingthe
threetimesasthick aswhatyou wantto
weld,or theycouldbe dirt from leaving
endwith. You will be drilling or otherwise grindingdustbetweenlayers.
cuttingone-thirdof thethicknessfrom
It doesn'tmatterwhattheyare,but what
eachsideandforgingit to themiddle,or
mattersis thattheyruin the look of the
deformingone-thirdthethicknessfrom
piece,andtheway to avoidhavingthemis
both sidesandgrindingto thecenterthird.
to be fanaticalaboutyour weld surfaces.
Weldsurfacesmustbe cleanandeither
Etching
dead-flator very slightlyconvex,(never
evenslightlyconcave),aswell asfreeof
Patternsareunlimited,but remember
divots.I grind andwipe cleanmy material
that whateverpatternis developedwill
beforeeachweld cycle.I know manywho
not showup until thepieceis etched.For
feel this is a wasteof time andlabor,but I
almostneverhavean inclusion.SinceI'm
furnishingmaterialfor others,I can't
affordto havebadmetalout there.
Evenif I weremakingsteelfor my own
use,I still wouldspendtheextratime to
keepeverythingcleanbecausewho wants
to getalmostfinishedgrindinga blade
andhavean ugly boogershowup?This
kni vesi l l ustrated.c om
involvessomeheavygrindingbetween
forgingcyclesandweldingcycles,and
the work wouldbe muchfasterif I just
cut andfolded dependingon the flux to
work miracles.I think it is worth it-after
all, you aredoing the whole exerciseto
createsomethingspecial,not "something
specialexceptfor that smallblack spot
nearthe tip." I think etchinga little deeper to blend a boogeris alsounacceptable.
Anothercommonproblemis having
blisterspop up on the surfaceof the billet. I think thesecomefrom leavinglow
spotson the surfaceof a layer.Whenthe
weld happensaroundthe low spot,whateverair or flux is in the low spotis
trapped,andthenlater,when tempsare
high, thereis enoughboiling or expansionto causea blister.Sometimes
blisters
happenwhenusingthin materialin the
initial stackandthe only way I know to
avoidthat is this-put thickerlayerson
the outsideandclampthe stack tight before placin,ethe arc welds.We usearc
weldsto hold everythingtogetheruntil
the hrst forgeweld is completed.
To deal
to weld,missinga placewhensettingthe
weld (handhammeror powerthe blows
neededto overlap),flux not reachingan
area,startinga weld sequencewhenthe
outsideis hot enough,but theinsideof
the billet is not, or just dirty work.
Normally the billet is workedsquare.If
you everhavea questionabouthow good
your weldsare,turn the billet on the diamond andwork it. If the weldsaregood,
the pieceshouldforgelike a solid bar of
steel.If theyaren't,it will comeapart.
You want to find poor weldsas soonas
possible,anddealwith themor scrapthe
piecebeforemoretime is invested.
A lesscommonmethodof creatinga
pattern-welded
pieceis workingwith
piecesof steeland/orpowderedmetalenclosedin a steelcontainer.Someof theadvantagesinclude:fewerlimits on whatcan
be donein design;thepowderedmetalallows for workingwith odd shapes;if done
correctly,perfect,solidwelds.
The disadvantages
I've found arettre
exffa work in seffingup ttrecanconectly,
long soaktimesthatmeanexftafuel usage;
Len Landrum
kn will helpyoulearnaboutsteel.
www.Iandrumkniv
es.com
DarrenEllis:
Gasforgehelp
http://home.
comcast.net/-eellis2/
Elli sCustomKnifew
orks/ index.hnnl
Ron "Bowi" Clayborn:
Alwayswilling n ,horc
knowledge
aboutDamascus.
www.thundermountainforge.com
Author",!ii,,TlJJ#,i,
helpedme start out.
www.atarcom/old
Ed Caffery:
Vdeos with information that will
help all Damascusmnkers.
www.caffreyknives.net
Knifenetwork.com:
A great resource
full of knowl-
The result
edgablepeople willing to help,
with blistersafter the fact, somepeople
centerpunchandflux andgo backfor anotherweldingcycle.WhenI hadblisters
early on I found it bestto grind them
completelyout. Eithersolutioncancompromiseyour final patterna little. Another goodthing aboutheavygrindingafter
the forging cycle anddrawingout is that
sometimestherecanbe blistersyou failed
to noticeasa dark spoton the metalduring forging,or thatdon't rise.
If a spotlike this wasmissedearlierin
the process,during heavygrindingit will
glow red because
it is somuchthinner
andis insulatedfrom the surrounding
material.It is muchbetterto dealwith it
ratherthanputting it backin the centerof
a billet duringa fold or re-stack.
A commonproblemwith beginnersis
simplya badweld.Theycanbe the result
of temperaturebeingtoo low while trying
kn iv es i I lust r a t e d .
com
powderis expensive;
powderedmetalcan
be hardto find; removingthe sacrificial
containercanbe labor-intensive;
thepiece
oftenrequiresaccordioncutting(whichis
alsolabor-andtime-intensive.
The best
thing about"working in a can" is there
is a varietyof thingsthat canbe done
in the metalthat aren'tpossiblewith
normalmethods.[Editor's note: We
are hearing that thereare signfficant
health risksin improperlyhandling
powderedmetal. Top-qualityrespirators are essential.Be sureyou understand the safetyproceduresand health
dangersbeforeyou opena containerof
powderedmetal.l
If you havethe toolsanddon't mind
hot, hard,dirty work, try patternwelding.
You might becomeascapturedby the subject asI am.Work hot, keepyour work
cleanandtry newthings.@
www.hifenetwork.com
Mick Maxen:
Studyeverythingheposts.
www.briti shblades.com
Tool Balancer:
www.springbalancers.com
If you plan to makemore than the
occasionalpiece of Damascus,
you needone. Thereare usually
severalon eBay.
Matt Walker
[email protected]
K N IV E S ILLU S TR A TE D . A P R IL 2009 57