A Basic Ovendew for Those Considering Making Their Own Damascus

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 creditto RobertMayo for the idea.I carrythis one daily.lt is not good for using,but cool for a blacksmithto have."

knivesillustrated.com 52 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED . APRIL 2009 want to give an overviewof how I makeDamascus steel, along with someopinions and ideas about it. This is what works in my shopfor me. Making Damascusis almosta faith- basedpursuit for me. If you talk with severalpeople that areserious about Damascusyou will seewhy I sayit is somewhatlike religion-we areall trying to get to the sameplace, but often value differentformalities in the practiceof gettingthere. My advicefor anyonewanting to start makingDamascus is to learneverything you canand use what works for you.No- body is born knowing this stuff.At the end of this articleI will credit someof the peopleI havelearned from and mentionresources I value.

Materials Matt Walkerin his shop Most steelsand even wrought iron, can be weldedand manipulated to createpat- I usenickel in my barsonly whenmy My personalrecommendation is 1084 terns.If you put wroughtiron, mild steel informedcustomers ask for it. Nickel re- and 15N20.This combinationprovides or nickelin theoriginal billet, you run the ally doesmake a piecepretty and, in my everythingI want for a piecethat I can risk of havinglayers that won't hardenor business,whoever is payingcan choose provideto otherswith confidence.The the lowercarbon layers robbing from the what materialthey want. 1084will be very dark,and will contrast highercarbon layers, possibly resulting Somesteels aren't compatible in a billet. nicelywith the 15N20(which will be in a bladethat won't respondproperly to You run the risk of havinga piecetear bright).These steels are similar in com- heattreatment. apartduring heat-treatdue to radically positionand perform well in heat-treat- In somecases. like with a tomahawk,in differentalloying elementsin the steel, ment,and make outstanding blades. I also whicha tool steelbit will be used,softer causingdifferential rates of expansion believethey standup betterto misman- layerscan be acceptablebecause only the andcontraction under extremely quick agement(time andtemperature extremes) working edgeneeds to be hardened. temperaturechanges. than someother mixes. Wre rope anda chainsawchain also canprovide some cool patterns. While wire ropewelds up easily,both it andthe chainsawchain arehard to complete withoutsmall flaws.

Technique

Billy Phelps,a talentedblacksmith, said:"To forge weld requires2,400 de- greesand 800 poundsper squareinch." I think it would takelab conditionsto provethis, but it seemsreasonable to me. I do know highercarbon-tool steels will weld at slightly lower temperaturesthan mild steel,and wrought iron needsto be screaming-hotto weld or evento forge successfully.A coal forge will certainly This hawk was forgedfrom a ladderpattern bar. The ladderpattern was distortedaway from reachthe requiredtemperature, and I the eye due to the handforging. Finished and haftedby Roy Carter. useit often for welding certaingeneral kn ivesil I ustrated. com KNIVES ILLUSTRATED . APRIL 2009 53 This hunteris a patternWalker developed called it TennesseeTwirl. He says it's nicer in higherlayer counts. 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. blacksmithingprojects. For pattern-weld- Forme. when the flux is violently bemore economical. With anhydrous edblade steel, a goodblown propane- activeand the billet appears the same borax,more flux stayson the work and fired forgeis hardto beat. coloras the inside of theforge, I waita seemsto penetratebetter. so less is Overmany years I havefound the few moreminutes so the heat of insideof wasted. blownforge to giveme totalcontrol over thebillet can catch up, and then I apply Thereare other things that can be ben- themost critical concerns: atmosphere, pressure.[t's a feelthat comes after mak- eficialin f-lux.Here is a recipefor Super temperatureand time. ing a few piecesthat fail. A piecewill not Fluxthat I sharewith permissionfrom Onequestion I geta lot is howI know weldup wellif it'stoo cool, but a long ChuckRobinson of Picayune.MS " 15 whenthe steel is ready.The first thing I soaktime at weldingtemperatures is not PartsBorax. 6 PartsBoric Acid, 3 Parts wouldsay is thatit is essentialthat you're goodfor thesteel, either. Although plas- IronOxide and2 Parts Fluorspar", I like ableto seethe work. Seeing the work re- tic deformationand thermal cycling can thismixture a lot. I havewelded stainless quiressome type of eyeprotection, which repairsome of thegrain dama-ee done by to carbon,in atmosphere,with thisflux, is a wholesubject itself. I usea Shade3 overheating,a piece with badwelds isn't whichis somethingsome say can't be weldin,elens. Use some kind of eyepro- useable.Managing the compromise is done.But be wamed- fluorsparisn't tectionwhen welding, even in coal.I partof "the feel." healthyand only useit rvith ventila- -eood believeif youcan see the work, it canbe tionor properbreathing protection bettermanaged. Flux I like to usea lot of flux. Considerthat Experienceis thebest teacher as you thejob of flux is to removeoxides and learnthe particularities of yourforge and Manypeople use 20 MuleTeam Borax trash.I like to seethe flux drippingoff thelighting conditions in yourshop to rightout of thebox. I can'trecommenc thebillet taking the unwanted stuff with determinethe right color of thehot metal. thatbecause. with thatmethod. most of it it. Forme the proper amount is ll'hat Keepin mindthat whatever eye protec- quicklyhits the floor or thebottom of the stayson thepiece at weldinstempera- tion you choosernay aff'ect how your fbrge.Anhydrous borax is a muchbetter ture. eyessee the color of themetal as well, alternative,and all thingsconsidered, may Thetime to introducethe flux is iust

This folder was made by StevenVanderkolff. lt's signedinside on the back spacer.It's also the TennesseeTwirl pattem 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 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED . APRIL 2O09 kn ivesi llustrated. com Walkercalls this Damascus pattern "bas- ketweave." beforecolor showsin the work. A faded red will melt the flux, and that is when it startsto do its work. Making the weld ba- sicallyrequires that enough pressure be appliedto the stackof individualpieces to force out the flux andmolten scale so that the steelsurfaces are in contactin- sidethe welding temperature range. Thereare many ways to accomplishthis. While a handhammer will certainly u'ork, a powerhammer can hit it many moretimes with the amountof force I determinewhile at welding temperature. Extreme,hard blows aren't what are calledfor whenmaking the weld, but lots of moderatewell-placed blows are. The tasteryou can overlapthe last blow with (4,** the next one,the better.Whether power SO (/"o,o

or handhammer, the first seriesof over- o/'

iappingblows should cover the centerof s@rrr/" the billet, andthe next seriesshould go down the side,overlapping both the last blow with thenext one, but alsooverlap- pingthe previousseries of centerblows. Power-hammerdies shouldnot be flat tor this work; they needa small amount of crown in the centerto help pushthe uashout, not helptrap it. I've found &tr\crl*n &n ony &t%;o throughexperience that a forging pressis (J an evenbetter (cleaner, faster and more r9oo o rgree d*& .K"r;, consistent)way to setthe weld.I think , -^"/ [email protected] the pressis betterdue to forging dynam- ics that arebeyond the scopeof this C9rr/rrrn*rr't*rK'rr*rr*&"*a,r"y@rtil"t paper. www. After the weld is set,there is the problem of drawingout in preparationfor a ft-rldor a stack.For me, that is accom- piishedwith a combinationof the press TheKnife Center of the Internet andthe powerhammer. The pressis the brute-forcetool andthe powerhammer is usedfor finesse.Building up layerscan be accomplishedeither by folding to double eachtime or drawingout andcutting the "The bar into multiplepieces and re-welding. Original and Largest I useboth methods, but typicallydraw Catalog of Catlery on tne Web" truterough to cut five or six pieces,then re-stackthe billet for anotherwelding cy- 5111Berwyn Rd. STE 110 .'ie.Sometimes I even do thataeain. Then 800-558-6799 CollegePark, MD 20740

:- ,:sillustrated.com KNIVES ILLUSTRATED . APRIL 2009 55 Walkermade this knifefrom an accordion-cut"W" bar.He forgedit to shapeand John Younghelped finish it up, along with the engraving. Handlesare mammothivory.

sometimeswill bifold or trifold to reacha makea patternhappen, otherwise you etchingI usefenic chloride.Ferric chlo- predeterminedlayer count.Some patterns will just havea straightpattern, provided ride is thebest and safest etchant for the look betterin higherlayers and some in everythinghas gone as it shouldhave up metalsI use.Etching will givea good lowerlevels. and Damascus billet cus- to this point. ideaof whatyou havecreated in all your tomersknow the rangeof layersthey Patternsare usually created by manipu- hoursof hot, dirty work, but the pattern ti: want the pieceto have.Again, the guy latingthe steelmechanically or by stock won't reallypop until thepiece is ii' thatis buyinghas the conect idea. removal.Twisting is an exampleof me- properlyheat-treated and finished. il I havea McDonaldrolling mill that is chanicalmanipulation. Drilling holesor usedfor final forging steps.The mill is milling groovesare examples of how Problems rilI .l the most efficienttool for working to a stockremoval followed by forging can !ii desiredthickness, and it leavesa cleaner. exposelayers to createa pattern.Differ- If you havenever made pattern-welded iiil.j more consistentsurface than my other entdies can be usedto makeimpressions Damascusbefore, the odds are you will |;,1.rJ forging tools.Many peopleforge Damas- in the surface,and then when the raised havesome problems, but thegood news illI cus by hand,but I would neverrecom- areasare milled away,a patternappears is theycan be solved. ;'.1 mendit dueto potentialdamage to your in theexposed layers. For example,inclusions are usually body-and your frustrationlevel. i i-l Expectto loseup to two{hirds of the smalland are something that was trapped i'lI Justmanaging a moderatelysized bil- materialyou startedwith in grindingout betweenthe layers during the welding I I -t let againstthe leverageof a long handle thesestock-removal-developed patterns. process.Most likely,they are scale or iiI rlI (necessaryto isolatefrom the heat)can Remember,the lastforging cycle before pocketsof flux thatweren't driven out I really hurt your elbowsin a shorttime. I patterndevelopment needs to leave piece I a dueto poortechnique when making the j..1i'l:l solvedthis problem by usinga device threetimes as thick aswhat you wantto weld,or theycould be dirt from leaving calleda tool balancerto carry the weight endwith. You will be drilling or otherwise grindingdust between layers. I of the workpiece.The tool balancerwas cuttingone-third of the thicknessfrom It doesn'tmatter what they are, but what I recommendedby a friend (CharlieMur- eachside and forging it to the middle,or mattersis thatthey I ruin the look of the ray),and may be the singlebest thing I deformingone-third the thicknessfrom piece,and the way to avoidhaving them is I havefound to helpingto produceDamas- both sidesand grinding to the centerthird. to be fanaticalabout your weld surfaces. cus.When you aredoing this for many Weld surfacesmust be cleanand either hoursa day,several days in a row, any- Etching dead-flator very slightly convex,(never I thing that physically I makesit easieral- evenslightly concave), as well asfree of lows you to work longer,faster and safer. Patternsare unlimited, but remember divots.I grind andwipe cleanmy material After the prefenedlayer countis that whateverpattern is developedwill beforeeach weld cycle.I know manywho reached,something needs to be doneto not showup until thepiece is etched.For feel this is a wasteof time andlabor, but I almostnever have an inclusion.Since I'm furnishingmaterial for others,I can't affordto havebad metal out there. Evenif I weremaking steel for my own use,I still wouldspend the extra time to keepeverything clean because who wants to getalmost finished grinding a blade A billetof radialDamascus welded up andhave an ugly boogershow up? This

56 KNIVESILLUSTRATED . ApRtL2009 knivesillustrated.com involvessome heavy grinding between to weld,missing a placewhen setting the forgingcycles and welding cycles, and weld (handhammer or powerthe blows the work wouldbe muchfaster if I just neededto overlap),flux not reachingan Len Landrum cut andfolded dependingon the flux to area,starting a weld sequencewhen the kn will helpyou learn about steel. work miracles.I think it is worth it-after outsideis hot enough,but theinside of www.Iandrumkniv es. c om all, you aredoing the whole exerciseto the billet is not, or just dirty work. createsomething special, not "something Normally the billet is workedsquare. If specialexcept for that smallblack spot you everhave a questionabout how good Darren Ellis: nearthe tip." I think etchinga little deep- your weldsare, turn the billet on the dia- Gasforge help er to blend a boogeris alsounacceptable. mond andwork it. If the welds aregood, http://home. comc ast. net/- eellis2/ Anothercommon problem is having the pieceshould forge like a solid bar of Elli sC u s t o mKnifew ork s / inde x. hnnl blisterspop up on the surfaceof the bil- steel.If theyaren't, it will comeapart. let. I think thesecome from leavinglow You want to find poor weldsas soonas spotson the surfaceof a layer.When the possible,and deal with themor scrapthe Ron "Bowi" Clayborn: weld happensaround the low spot,what- piecebefore more time is invested. Alwayswilling n ,horc everair or flux is in the low spotis A lesscommon method of creatinga knowledgeabout Damascus. trapped,and then later, when tempsare pattern-weldedpiece is workingwith www.thunde g high, thereis enoughboiling or expan- piecesof steeland/or powdered metal en- rmount ainfo r e.c om sionto causea blister.Sometimes blisters closedin a steelcontainer. Some of the ad- happenwhen using thin materialin the vantagesinclude: fewer limits on whatcan initial stackand the only way I know to be donein design;thepowdered metal al- Author",!ii,,TlJJ#,i, avoidthat is this-put thickerlayers on lows for workingwith odd shapes;if done helpedme start out. the outsideand clamp the stack tight be- correctly,perfect, solid welds. fore placin,ethe arcwelds. We usearc The disadvantagesI've found arettre www.atarcom/old weldsto hold everythingtogether until exffa work in seffingup ttrecan conectly, the hrst forgeweld is completed.To deal long soaktimes that mean exfta fuel usage; Ed Caffery: Vdeos with information that will help all Damascusmnkers. www.caffreyknives.net

Knifenetwork.com: A great resourcefull of knowl- The result edgablepeople willing to help, with blistersafter the fact, somepeople powderis expensive;powdered metal can www.hifenetwork.com centerpunch and flux andgo back for an- be hardto find; removingthe sacrificial otherwelding cycle. When I hadblisters containercan be labor-intensive;the piece Mick Maxen: early on I found it bestto grind them oftenrequires accordion cutting (which is completelyout. Either solution can com- alsolabor- and time-intensive. The best Studyeverything he posts. promiseyour final patterna little. Anoth- thing about"working in a can" is there www.b riti shblade s. c om er goodthing aboutheavy grinding after is a varietyof thingsthat canbe done the forging cycle anddrawing out is that in the metalthat aren'tpossible with Tool Balancer: sometimesthere can be blistersyou failed normalmethods. [Editor's note: We www.sprin gb alanc ers. c om to noticeas a dark spoton the metaldur- are hearing that thereare signfficant ing forging,or thatdon't rise. health risksin improperlyhandling If you plan to makemore than the If a spotlike this wasmissed earlier in powderedmetal. Top-qualityrespira- occasionalpiece of Damascus, the process,during heavygrinding it will tors are essential.Be sureyou under- you needone. Thereare usually glow redbecause it is somuch thinner stand the safetyprocedures and health severalon eBay. andis insulatedfrom the surrounding dangersbefore you opena containerof material.It is muchbetter to deal with it powderedmetal.l ratherthan putting it backin the centerof If you havethe toolsand don't mind Matt Walker a billet duringa fold or re-stack. hot, hard,dirty work, try patternwelding. [email protected] A commonproblem with beginnersis You might becomeas captured by the sub- simplya badweld. They can be theresult ject asI am.Work hot, keepyour work of temperaturebeing too low while trying cleanand try new things.@ kn ives i I lustrated. com KNIVES ILLUSTRATED . APRIL 2009 57