Pattern Welded Damascus Steel

Damascus steel that has been hammered together is different from the traditional Damascus crucible steel called wootz. Pattern welded Damascus is two different types of steel forge welded together under heat.

These pictures are from the first time I ever made welded Damascus in blacksmith school. After all these years, I still make some of my knives based on this technique in my shop.

It starts off with strips of 1095 carbon steel and 15N20 nickel steel.

The strips are stacked in alternating layers and MIG welded together.

After fluxing, the billet goes into a furnace to be heated and tapped together with a hammer until the metal sticks to itself without any gaps. The flux protects the layers from oxidizing. Any air prevents the metal from sticking to itself and this is known as a “cold shut”. The steel doesn’t bond and it causes occlusions and a weak spot that can cause the blade to delaminate.

The heated billet is hammered and shaped on a power hammer, and drawn out to begun folding. This is the school’s air hammer. I use a 100# pound Little Giant mechanical hammer in my shop.

Each time the billet is cut part way through, it’s welded back to itself and the number of layers doubles with each fold.

Once the billet is folded, the patterns can be done in a few ways. I can pound the flat billet back into a round and then twist it. I can cut lines across the flat face randomly and it becomes a “ladder pattern”. Or a series off shallow holes can be drilled part way through the bar and then reheated and pounded out flat again. This results in “raindrop patterns” like a drip falling into the water.

This is the result of a simple twist. The polished flat is dipped in ferric chloride and the nickel steel is chemical resistant and remains shiny. The carbon steel turns black. This results in a black and “white” pattern showing through the entire blade and onto the surface.

Each blade never has the exact same pattern. You can either forge and shape the knife blades as in a “brut de forge”, or you can use stock removal to grind and shape the blade to whatever you choose. After heat treating and drawing back the temper, you get a really nice knife blade that’s unique.

A set of skinner and gutting blades with moose antler sheds for handles.

My favorite is my homemade KABAR. Shown at the top is an original issue KABAR, at the bottom is my personal knife. It’s basically a really sharp pry bar I can use to chop, cut, or gouge with as I need in the field.