An Introduction to Damascus Steel

Several readers have asked us about Damascus1 – what is it? how is it made? who uses it? and how is it different from Damascus steel?

Let’s start by explaining what Damascus1 exactly is and how it differs from the typical Damascus steel that many of us are familiar with?

Damascus1 is a Hot Isostatic Pressed (HIP) Powder Metallurgy (PM) made steel that enables properties that are typically found in today’s best performing knife steels. The unique thing about Damascus1 – the patented production method is that it is combined with a beautiful, traditional Damascus style pattern. Our blacksmiths start with the perfect bat, a sturdy piece of steel. This perfect steel billet has no limits and never has limits between the two alloys. Using their craftsmanship, our blacksmiths then create unique patterns. That is why the Damascus product meets the beauty of the traditional Damascus with the perfection of modern production methods with the highest possible cleanliness, creating a repetitive steel with stainless pattern that is resistant to abuse.

Can You Give Us An Overview Of The Process Of Making Damascus1 Knives?

A stainless steel melt is poured into a high tower. As the liquid passes through a nozzle, it is dispersed in droplets with a jet of inert gas. While these drops fall to the bottom of the tower, they solidify into powder. This powder will contain all alloying elements of the melt and each powder particle is essentially a very small casting. This powder is collected in a carbon steel bucket at the bottom of the tower.

Then there is a cold compaction press to enable the subsequent HIP at high temperature and high pressure. This will result in a sturdy piece of steel that already has a perfect structure. This can be compared with conventionally made steel which at this point in the steel process as a casting block will have a very coarse structure that must be broken down in later forging or rolling processes in order to become a good piece of steel. The Damascus1 product will also be forged and rolled to a usable size, but the sole purpose of the Damascus1 product is to achieve a desired size so as not to improve the structure of the steel, since it is perfect from the start .

Traditional Techniques

At this point, Damascus takes the product from the steel mill and our forges lay each bar using traditional forging techniques to create the visual effects of the intricate patterns. Every pattern is handmade by our forges and special care is taken to ensure the highest quality and responsiveness of the pattern. This is a real work of art and the skills of the blacksmiths are reflected in the result. However, the steel was perfect from the start and as delivered by Damascus1 it remains a perfect metallurgical product.

Tell us about the different steel alloys and patterns that you are currently producing that are most popular for knife production.

Today we carry six different steel types. Four of them are decorative steel bowls from Damascus. Three of them are meant for making knives. They are:

Martensitic Damascus Patterned Steel

This steel consists of two different hard enable steels in more than one hundred layers. The steel becomes stainless after heat treatment. It combines corrosion resistance with superior edge sharpness and toughness. Excellent steel for peripheral tools such as knives different patterns are available.

Martensitic Steel

A martensitic, stainless, curable and non-patterned steel. The most important feature of is the ability to mirror polishing. With the highest level of cleanliness, as with all Damascus qualities, it delivers an incomparable surface finish. Like Damascus steel patterns, it is a rapidly solidified powder steel for the sharpness and toughness of the highest end. Folding knife is one of the two steels used brass steel.

Damascus Pattern steel

Consists of two non-curable steels in more than a hundred layers. It is stainless and suitable for jewelry, cutlery, watch cases and similar products.

And Two Gun Barrel Steels:

Gun Barrel Steel

This steel consists of two layered alloy curable barrels of carbon steel in more than one hundred layers. This steel Damascus pattern can be blued / brown. A Damascus pattern steel for weapons that is also suitable for forging axes and knives malleable weldable.

This steel consists of two curable stainless barrel steels in more than one hundred layers. A Beautiful Damascus pattern steel for luxury firearms. The steel is also suitable for applications with medium hardness, such as cutlery knives and other decorative products. The most popular steels for knife making are the Damascus1 Patterned Steel.

We offer a number of patterns that can be viewed on Damascus1 selection is a personal preference. The smaller busier patterns tend to be more popular for small knife blades and the larger, more expansive patterns for larger knife blades. We have 16 standard patterns today. Moreover, we can make customized patterns on request.