Damascus steel recipe. Damascus steel making

The desire to make Damascus steel with your own hands should have a certain expediency. The reason for the appearance of such material is quite simple. For several millennia, progress depended on the level of development of weapons technology. In order to have a light and durable weapon, suitable materials were sought. You can swing a heavy sword, frightening the enemy. Having a handy sword of light weight, it is easier to hit an enemy clad in armor.

Even knights of large size (heroes), dressed in armor, often could not oppose anything to nimble opponents armed with light swords, swords and broadswords. Strong and sharp steel found flaws in protection, penetrated into the joints of armor, inflicting mortal wounds. The special strength made it possible to manufacture a convenient weapon with a small mass.

Bulat and Damascus

Damascus steel drawing on a metal cut:

The term Damascus steel has appeared relatively recently. A similar name for a forged product began to appear in various sources in the middle of the 19th century. Before that, the name "Gurda" was used more often, this was the name of the creations of blacksmiths from the Caucasus and Mesopotamia. There they began to forge products from a mixture of alloys, achieving an unusual pattern on the surface of the blades.

Bulat, as evidenced by historical research, came from India. In museums of history, samples of weapons have been preserved, where casting blanks from alloy steel were used. Most often, they contain chromium, the concentration of which can reach up to 14%.

However, damask production is designed only for individual production. Therefore, the technology is quite expensive. The craftsman spends a lot of time to make a certain sample. If they talk about mass production, then they do not count on complex technology.

Only the Zlatoust Arms Plant (the only large enterprise) produces damask blades. Damascus steel products are produced by special order. Product prices are high, but there is a stable demand for products not only within Russia, but also abroad.

Metallurgist Pavel Petrovich Anosov studied production technology and created industrial technologies. The results of his work are present in all textbooks on metal science and blacksmithing.

Modern damask steel in products - a replica of the HP-40 knife in a modern design, made to order:

During the Great Patriotic War the plant produced army knives and checkers for the cavalry. Since then, quite a lot of weapons have been sold on various Internet resources. Modern blacksmiths produce a remake (this is the name for products that are made in the image and likeness of old designs). Several hundred workshops offer copies that are difficult to distinguish from the original.

Scout knife HP-40, made in 1942 - more than 7 million of them were produced:

Judging by the number of offers and prices, we can conclude that the individual product is in stable demand. The production of products from damask and damascus steel can be quite interesting and profitable business.

Modern knife HP-40, made according to the samples of the period of the Great Patriotic War:

Experts see the difference between damask steel and Damascus steel in the raw material:

1. Bulat is an alloy in which there is a significant amount of alloying elements, during subsequent forging by forging, platinum is connected, which gives the product a set of new properties.
2. Damascus is a mechanical connection of metal blanks that differ in their properties. Forging is carried out up to several tens of layers.

Use of high quality steel in products

Weapons aren't the only ones that need durable materials. Materials of construction with special properties are used in a wide variety of industries.

Forged products work in cars, on railway transport, in agricultural vehicles, in spaceships. Only a very simplified technology is used. Forging achieve a fine grain in the structure of the metal. Possible cavities that are present in the castings are eliminated.

An example of a modern blade with a pronounced pattern:

For Damascus steel, the pros and cons are noted.

Positive characteristics

• High strength of the product, withstands the load applied in different directions(compressive, tensile, bending and other types of loading).
• Wear resistance of the cutting edge, keeps sharpness for a long time.
• Has an unusual appearance, it is impossible to repeat a drawing on a similar object, makes it recognizable.
• High implementation cost.

A special kind of Damascus steel made from wire rope:

The listed advantages often attract craftsmen to engage in production using the technology of multiple forging of blanks. For each new batch of goods, its own methods and sequence of forging can be used.

Flaws

The main disadvantage is the high labor costs for the production of the product. We have to resort to repeated heating of the workpiece.

High carbon steel is susceptible to corrosion. To the question: "Does it rust?" It can be answered unequivocally that without proper care, rust quickly destroys the product.

Even at home, it is advisable to regularly care for Damascus steel items. They are wiped with vegetable or mineral oils, and then the excess is removed with a dry cloth. Original weapons are processed at least once a year. Then it persists for a long time.

Finca in Damascus steel, a contemporary piece:

Equipping a workshop for the production of products

In a workshop home master If you want to start making products from Damascus steel, you need to have:

1. Welding machine- with its help, plates of materials of different strengths are welded into a single block, which can be processed together.
2. Horn - it heats workpieces from finished items to high temperatures (more than 800 ⁰С).
3. An anvil is needed for forging. Forge welding is carried out by the deformation method, the shape of the part changes at different stages of processing.
4. A set of hammers and hammers helps you strike with different strengths. When they work together, the leading blacksmith, with blows of a light hammer, shows the helper the places for striking with a heavy hammer.
5. A vise is used to fix workpieces on different stages work.
6. A drilling machine is required to drill holes.
7. The sharpening machine is used more often than others, on it the products are given shape and sharpness.
8. A grinder is a variant of a sharpening machine, a distinctive feature is the use of an abrasive coated tape glued into a ring. With the help of a grinder, smooth slopes are formed at a given angle.
9. Machine for making slopes. High-quality sharpening to razor sharpness is possible only on a special device that allows you to move along a strictly defined trajectory.
10. Grinder with a set of cutting and cleaning discs. A simple tool helps you to accomplish the most different types action.

Sharpening the blade on the grinder:

In addition to the basic set of machines and accessories, many craftsmen additionally use woodworking equipment. It helps make handles from durable woods. Small lathes help create intricate fittings that decorate finished items.

Homemade miniature grinder, grinding down slopes:

Rollers are available in workshops producing quality knives. Heated blanks are rolled on them in order to obtain a plate of a certain thickness. Do-it-yourself Damascus steel is obtained after repeated forging and rolling through rollers.

The presence of a crank hammer helps to forge the workpiece with a series of numerous blows. A pneumatic or hydraulic press is used for volumetric reduction of metal. The desired geometry is given in one motion.

Some craftsmen have dies and punches that allow the method of plastic deformation to give a standard shape, for example, to push a fulcrum on a blade (used to stiffen with a simultaneous reduction in weight).

Blanks for the production of damask steel

Do damask steel it is not difficult, for its production steels and alloys with predetermined properties are used. Finished products and special ingots are used. Blacksmiths use scrap metal or parts purchased from trading network... The table shows the materials that are most often used to make forged items.

Step-by-step technology for making damask steel from a bearing

Products from finished ingots or billets are produced in the following sequence.

The inner ring of the bearing is made of ShKh-15 alloy. It is sawn with a grinder's cutting disc, sent to the forge for warming up. The desired heating temperature is 900 ... 950 ⁰С.

The workpiece is held on the anvil with forging tongs. Beating off the bulges with a hammer, a strip is formed from the ring.

Depressions are removed from the strip.

On the grinder, give the desired shape.

With the help of a special mandrel, the workpiece is held. A constant angle allows you to create the same descents on both sides.

The final shape of the product is obtained by turning.

GOI paste and an auxiliary velvet roller help to polish the surface.

After polishing, a finished blade is obtained. It remains to make a handle, bolster and scabbard. Then the product can be considered finished.

Blanks for the production of Damascus

Any master can make Damascus steel at home; for this, sets of alloys are used. They contain soft and hard inclusions. By combining them with each other, they achieve blades with pronounced structural patterns.

The following combinations are used as shown in the table. Some workshops also offer their own options. The proposed schemes give the best performance.

Starting production in your own workshop, find out how much it costs ready product, not difficult. Many e-commerce sites have prices listed. As you gain experience and improve the quality of the goods, you can increase the price of your products.

Video: how to make Damascus steel?

Step-by-step instructions for making a knife from a cable and a strip from a file

Damascus steel and products from it are more difficult to make. But ready sample will have more attractive view... Below is the sequence for making a blade.

Blanks are prepared from several sections of the cable. They are welded using rods from of stainless steel... The cable is a tough metal, while stainless steel is a soft, ductile material.

Before starting work, flushing is performed. Used in diesel fuel... It is advisable to wash the existing organic inclusions.

Primary firing is performed in a muffle furnace.

Borax helps to get rid of scale. At high temperatures, the slag will not be trapped inside the workpiece.

The first refining forging. Light blows. It is necessary to mechanically shake out possible toxins, then shells will not form.

Forging with a light hammer allows you to create a rectangular shape. First, the surface layer is compacted.

Heavy hammer forging is carried out to compact the entire interior. The task of this operation is to obtain a monolithic product.

Automatically create a strip of the desired size. Now the workpiece is transformed into a plate according to its parameters.

After forging on the machine, the desired pattern appears on the workpiece.

If you are not satisfied with the appearance, then you can reforg. Skilled craftsmen often reforge the plate several times, and then twist the workpiece. Then the original stars are formed.

The future cutting edge is welded. For it, a strip from a file is used, in which U10 steel is used. At the edge, the hardness is HRC 60 ... 63. The rest of the blade will remain pliable.

The handle is forged on a 120 t heavy press.

The blade takes on the desired shape. Heating over 900 ⁰C makes the metal very ductile.

The handle is forged.

The finished forging already looks quite attractive. It is necessary to grind down the slopes so that the cutting edges are formed.

The slopes are worn down. The blade is ready for further work. The most time consuming part of the job is done.

The design on the blade shows that the item is made of Damascus steel.

Blade options. None of them will ever happen again. Each will have only his own structure. With the help of acid, the manifestation of a deeper pattern is achieved.

Another possible option. If at the stage of welding future elements to change the thickness of the cable and stainless steel, then you can get new types of Damascus each time.

Using other materials, you can create other types of blades.

The modern shade of Damascus steel is different from the original Damascus from the past. Historically, Damascus was considered crucible. It had a very high carbon content and had a characteristic surface due to its crystal structure.

Damascus steel got its name because the crusaders on their way to the Holy Land acquired new blades from this superior steel (superior to medieval European steel) in the city of Damascus. However, the modern version of steel has little to do with the past and is more like acid-etched steel.

Damascus, which is shown here, is one of the most modern options. Damascus made of cable is perhaps one of the most simple ways forging Damascus with a complex pattern. Unlike other methods, this method does not require folding and, in fact, has a ready-made shape.

Step 1: safety measures

The most important thing is safety. The manufacturing process involves forging, grinding, and immersing the metal in chemicals, so it is important to use proper safety equipment.

For the forge welding stage (forging welding), many people who perform any forging operation know the basic safety equipment: gloves, apron, closed boots, etc. However, the conditions are not always met. Everyone knows eye protection is important, but for this kind of work you need special kind protection. The above and only photo in this section is neodymium glasses. The reason for this is that such glasses are essential for such work.

This protection is often neglected by specialists, but it is not worth repeating after them. The heat required for forge welding creates radiation that can cause loss of vision over a long period of time. Neodymium glass, however, blocks out most of the radiation and keeps your eyes safe. Please note: neodymium goggles are not the same as welding helmets or Sunglasses... When using them in blacksmith welding, your pupils will dilate and your eyes will receive even more radiation.

Step 2: making the blanks

Before you start working with the cable, you need to prepare. Before it goes into the fire, you need to cut off the part you want, like in the first photo. I cut 3 30cm pieces of 2.5cm cable using a cut-off saw. You can cut the cable in any other way, the main thing is to make sure that the cable you are using is made of steel without the use of plastic and that the steel is not galvanized, as the heat reacting with the coating will emit gases that can lead to severe poisoning and even of death. Keep this in mind when looking for a cable.

In addition, if this is your first time trying to make such a product, perhaps you should not immediately take such a thick cable, but take, for example, a diameter of 1 - 1.5 cm.You will not get a large and thick product, but you will train well before more complex projects.

Be sure to tighten the cable ends with steel wire after cutting. This is done to prevent the weaving from unraveling during the first stages of work. Be sure to use a simple steel wire, because other wires that are coated or made of a different material may melt or react from heat and ruin the entire product.

Everyone who makes Damascus steel with their own hands has their own list of steps or secrets that seem to speed up and simplify the making process. I challenge you by trial and error to come to own plan, optimal for you personally.

I start by wetting my cold WD40 metal until it is completely soaked, and then pouring it all over with regular borax before putting it on the fire. Both borax and WD40 are needed to prevent oxidation, which can make forge welding impossible.

Borax, as a rule, does not stick to metal if it is hot or wet, and WD40 will not burn in a forge, therefore, first I wet the metal with WD40, and only then sprinkle it with brown, which is the best option for me.

Step 3: forge welding

After placing the product in the oven, heat it to a bright orange or yellow color. Once it reaches the appropriate temperature, let it sit for another minute or so so that all the metal absorbs the heat and heats up evenly.

The cable must be twisted before the impact can be made. It is filled with empty space, which is bad for forge welding. Secure one end of the cable in a vise or similar, and grab the other end with whatever handy tool you find appropriate (I used a pair of pliers) to twist the sections in the direction the cable is already twisted.

This step may require several reheats. Continue twisting the cable until it stops twisting. Make sure the cable does not bend as the whole process becomes much more difficult.

Every time, before putting the cable into the fire, you need to sprinkle it with brown until the metal is homogeneous. To make the borax stick to the metal exactly, pour it in at the moment when the product is bright red. An important point: When borax melts, it becomes corrosive and can damage the walls of your forge from the inside, so make sure that the bricks in your forge are fireproof.

Also, hot borax on your skin can be quite painful and can leave scars, so be sure to wear appropriate equipment. The last part of forge welding is the welding itself. When the product is hot, you can start banging it. The idea is to first knock it out in the shape of a square bar. When you hit, you must watch the cable turn. Personally, I prefer to start in the middle and work my way to the ends.

The impacts will cause the fibers to separate from each other, so it is necessary to minimize the distance from the first impact to the next. You will understand that the product has become homogeneous by the altered sound that will be emitted upon impact. Initially, it will be more dull, but as soon as the metal becomes homogeneous, the sound will become bright and sonorous. As soon as it becomes uniform, you can begin to give the desired shape.

Step 4: shaping

When planning your project, be sure to remember that the end result will be much smaller than the original cable. Also keep in mind that cable ends may open and not weld. Don't worry, just find where it starts weld and cut off the end. Because of characteristic features cable and the number of gaps and protrusions in it, you are bound to come across holes and holes, unless you use a pneumatic hammer or forging press.

The bottom line is to crumple the cable, see what you are dealing with, and build on that. I decided to make pendants in the shape of a teardrop shield out of my cut. The finer the grit you use for the final sanding, the better the pattern will be visible. Since I wanted to achieve a very deep etch, I didn't need to sand too smooth. Sufficient 120 grit sandpaper before etching.

Step 5: final stage and defense

Damascus steel should look like one solid piece of metal. To get the pattern, you need to acid etch the steel. There are several uses for acids, but I personally use ferric chloride. If you want a very superficial etching, such as an image on a surface, you only need to dip the metal in acid for about 20 minutes.

I wanted a very deep etch that could be felt, so I immersed my workpiece for 7 hours. Once you're done pickling, you must cleanse the metal and neutralize the acid. One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply spray glass cleaner on the engraved piece after it has been rinsed with water. Remember to wear gloves and eye protection for all of this. If you want to add some color to the product, like on two last photos, just heat it a little after etching until the desired color is achieved.

Once the etching is over, the final step is to protect the metal. Steel is strong, but unfortunately tends to rust. If the piece you are using needs to be practical, like a knife, you can apply wax to its surface.

If the part is more decorative, you can apply a clear coat. It all depends on preference. Personally, I decided to give nail polish a try. I usually use clear polyurethane, but this time I decided to try something new. After the part is varnished, all that is left is to enjoy the view.

Step 6: one last moment

The piece I made does not require any quenching or heat treatment because it is decorative item... If you decide to make a blade from a cable, you need to keep in mind that when hardened, the steel tends to deform in the direction of twisting of the cable. If you want a practical material, make it thicker, otherwise you can start with a knife and end up with a corkscrew.

Step 7: addition

Here are some more link pendants. To obtain a very deep etch, they were all etched for almost 24 hours. They were all heated to different temperatures to develop different colors. At the end they were covered with polyurethane to prevent rusting.

Damascus knives have always been valued among hunters. It is a unique material with excellent technical characteristics, durable, has excellent sharpening. But finding inexpensive products on sale is problematic, usually knives have a high price. There is a way out: you can make a similar knife yourself at home.

Damascus knife: product features

Damascus steel is distinguished by a number of properties that are inherent only in this metal. Knives made of this material have the highest cutting qualities, enormous strength, surpassing analogues several times. The surface of the product is also original - it is visually heterogeneous due to the patterns that are formed during manufacture.

There are two types of Damascus steel that go into making knives:

• welding - obtained by multiple reforging of the steel package;
• refined - during smelting, harmful impurities are evaporated from it.

Every housewife dreams of getting a knife from such metal: it is ideal for the kitchen as a cutting knife. There are also hunting, fishing, tourist knives on sale, which are appreciated by professionals. Expensive author's products self made usually bought as a gift, many of them are made to order, complemented by handles made of fine wood.

You can't buy Damascus knives cheaply. For example, Japanese knives of the Yaxell brand cost 12,000-22,000 rubles. A Samura folding knife can be purchased for 3000-5000 rubles, a folding knife from Sergey Marychev's workshop - for 2500-5000. Yakut knives or simply "Yakuts" (Russia) are very popular. They have characteristic feature- blade asymmetry. In combination with a birch handle, these products do not sink in water due to their special design. If you take a knife from the manufacturer, you can find it for 3000-10000 rubles.

According to reviews, Kizlyar knives with a straight blade are also good. Their advantage lies in the applied grooves, which make the "kizlyar" lighter. For hunting, fishing, they often buy knives with a hook blade, which are very convenient for gutting the carcasses of animals, large fish. How much does such a thing cost? The price can reach 6000-30000 rubles, depending on the brand.

Damascus steel products have pluses and minuses too. They need to be properly looked after: due to the presence of carbon steel in the composition, rust may appear on the surface. The simplest preventive measures will help to avoid such a nuisance.

Making a knife from Damascus steel

You can make a Damascus knife with your own hands. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with thematic photos, videos, how such blanks are made, as well as pick up all the necessary accessories and consumables.

Materials and tools

To create a knife, you need to prepare the following materials:

• two grades of carbon steel plates (the higher the carbon content, the better the blades are);
• borax (sold in economic departments);
• a rod for welding a blank for a knife;
• fast drying epoxy adhesive;
• brass rivets;
• iron chloride;
• vegetable oil for steel hardening;
• wood for the handle.

You will also need a number of tools to work. First of all, you need an anvil. It is better to equip a real anvil, but a piece of rail, a large metal sledgehammer, will do. We also need a heavy hammer (1-1.5 kg in weight), a forge capable of maintaining a high temperature. Other accessories required:

• welding for welding plates, fixing reinforcement (wire can be used);
• belt-type grinding machine (if it is not there, a file will do, but the work will be long);
• oven, other heating device;
• drill or drilling machine;
• vice.

Assembling the knife blank

First you need to create blanks, cut steel plates of the required length. It is recommended for beginners to make small blanks, since it will be more difficult to create a knife from large ones. Welding areas must be cleaned of scale, corrosion, plates must be laid with alternating metals by grade. There can be 3-7 or more plates in total. Then the following actions are performed:

• align the plates;
• grab them by welding;
• as a handle, weld a piece of reinforcement to the blanks;
• instead of such a handle, ordinary pliers can be used.

The first forging of a stack for a knife

In addition to a real horn, you can use a homemade one made from an empty gas cylinder. From the inside, the cylinder should be laid out with a layer of kaolin wool, refractory cement. Any furnace can be heated with a gas burner. If it is small, then heating occurs quickly. After the actions will be as follows:

• put the blank of the knife in the forge;
• heat the future knife to a red-cherry color (with moderate heat);
• sprinkle the workpiece with brown so that it melts and "saturates" the plates (this is required to remove rust, prevent oxidation, improve the purity of steel);
• clean the scale that has come out, repeat heating again after a while;
• if necessary, duplicate all actions.

Then the workpiece is heated to a higher temperature - forging (about 1300 degrees), while the metal becomes bright yellow. They begin to hammer the plates together with blows of medium power. After the blank of the knife is pulled out for bending.

Bending the workpiece

A stack of plates must be forged to a length equal to two lengths of the future knife. It must be stretched evenly so that the thickness remains approximately the same over the entire area of ​​the product. A transverse depression is made in the center with a chisel, slightly not reaching the lower edge (not for the entire thickness). Then the blank of the knife must be bent in half along the mark made, turned over, forged along the length. In this case, the halves should match well along the edges.

After bending, reheat the future knife, forge it, sprinkle with brown, let it cool. Then stretch and bend again. The goal is to get more layers to create the original drawing. To calculate the number of layers sufficient for a particular knife, you can use the formula:

initial number of steel sheets * 2 * number of folds (usually 3-4).

At the end of the work, put the knife blank in the anvil groove, twist it, then forge it again to a rectangular shape. Before twisting, it should be pierced in the corners to give a certain roundness and exclude the appearance of impurities, inclusions from folds. The temperature in the hearth must be consistently high, otherwise the quality of the steel will decrease, the layers will not firmly adhere to each other.

Model and rough shaping

The appearance of the knife must be presented in advance. You can find the best profile on the Internet. According to the figure, you need to start forging from the workpiece, at first it will be rough. It is important to try and make the job finer so that sanding is less difficult. During heating, metal can be "sculpted" like from plasticine, so it is necessary to give the product a beautiful look.

Profile grinding

If there is no grinder or special machine available, use a file and a grinder. The product should be smooth, even, shiny. Then you should drill a hole for the handle, and also sharpen the knife a little (not completely, otherwise it will warp when heated).

Ready profile

The workpiece is finalized with a file with a grain of 400. The use of fine grain will help to give the workpiece a final smooth appearance. Also at this stage, you need to prepare wooden strips for the handle (2 pieces) and rivets for attaching them.

Last hardening

This point in the manufacture of a knife is considered the most dangerous and difficult. Tempering will either make the blade perfect or it will bend it. You need to work very carefully so as not to deform the blade. Before starting all actions, the product is normalized to eliminate excessive stress on the steel and reduce the risk of warpage. For this it is necessary to heat the blade more than its critical temperature. A magnet will be required to determine the time when the metal stops magnetizing - this will be the point at which the desired temperature is reached.

After heating it is necessary to cool the workpiece in air. You will have to repeat the procedure 3-5 times. When it cools down, it will already be possible to evaluate the drawing of the steel, which will turn out as a result. Next, you need to proceed with the most responsible actions:

• reheat the workpiece above the critical temperature;
• remove the blade from the forge, point forward quickly put it in a warm vegetable oil(it must be evenly warmed up in advance);
• water cannot be used, this will ruin high-carbon steel;
• carefully lay the product on a flat surface (it will be fragile like glass).

Metal release

The tempering process hardens the knife blade to increase its service life. This is done by heating the blade in the oven at a temperature of about +205 degrees for 1-1.5 hours.

Etching

Ferric chloride is required at this stage. It is made according to the manufacturer's instructions, then the finished blade is placed in the solution. Usually 3 parts of water are taken, 1 - ferric chloride, the holding time is 3-5 minutes.

Handle and sharpening

For the handle, you can take any wood - from the simplest birch to expensive varieties of wood. Cherries and alder are well suited. The workpiece is grinded, attached to the handle with epoxy glue and brass rivets. At the end of the work, the wood is sanded, impregnated with linseed oil or special stains.

It is better to sharpen the knife right away. How to sharpen the product correctly, you should find out in advance so that there are no problems in the future. Since soft layers alternate with hard ones, bending of one layer onto another should be avoided during the sharpening process. First, the blade is inspected for chips, chipping: they will need to be cut down. Then you can use abrasive materials to remove layers evenly. First, coarser grain is used, then fine grain.

Sharpening tips:

• the knife cannot be sharpened by the transverse method, it may be damaged;
• sharpening is done diagonally, starting from the hand;
• processing is carried out with minimal pressure;
• at the end of the work, wipe the base with a napkin (you can also use lemon zest to extend the life of the knife).

Caring for knives

For a knife to serve for a long time, it must be properly cared for. It is imperative to clean the product after each use. Always wipe it dry after washing! The blade must be lubricated with castor oil after cleansing, but it is not necessary to apply it too abundantly. Castor oil dries quickly, so it must be left on the blade with active air access until it dries completely.

It is better to store the knife outside the scabbard, excluding the ingress of water. In order for the drawing to remain beautiful for a long time, acids and alkalis must not be allowed to hit the blade.

Despite the strength of steel, the knife can be damaged, ruin the sharpening. To avoid such consequences, the following prohibitions must be observed:

• do not chop the bones of animals (carefully cut the carcass at the joints);
• do not cut metal and other too hard products;
• do not open cans with a knife;
• do not throw a knife into trees or other targets;
• do not replace a screwdriver, hammer, other tools with a knife;
• try not to bend the blade.

How to remove rust from Damascus steel

It happens that corrosion appears on the surface. It should be removed immediately after identification. This is done using fine-grain sandpaper, while wetting the product with kerosene. It is allowed to use castor oil, polishing paste with abrasive additives. After wiping off the stains, you need to pay more attention to the care of the product so that rust no longer appears on it.

In today's article, we will look at the technology for making a good strong knife from Damascus steel. The knife is created in the traditional style, that is, by forging. Here you will need a forge, an anvil, a hammer and a lot of patience.

The peculiarity of Damascus steel is that different types of metal are mixed by forging. First, the plates are prepared, then they are welded, heated, and then the workpiece is twisted to mix all types of metal.

Due to the fact that a knife can pose a threat to health, it should not be given to people with an unstable psyche.

Materials and tools for making a knife:

From materials:
- steel plates of at least two grades (it is desirable to use steel with a high carbon content, then it can be well hardened. The author used two types of steel, these are 1095 and 15n20);
- flux (you will need borax, you can buy it at the hardware store);
- a long rod (needed so that you can weld the workpiece for heating in the oven);
- any wood to choose from;
- epoxy glue (preferably one that dries quickly);
- brass rivets;
- linseed oil or other wood impregnation;
- vegetable oil for steel hardening;
- ferric chloride.

From tools:
- an anvil (preferably a real large anvil. As a last resort, a piece of rail, a sledgehammer, etc.);
- hammer (the author used a 1.3 kg transverse hammer);
- welding (it is convenient for her to weld the plates to each other and fix the fittings, but if not, you can use wire);
- a forge for blacksmithing (it should be quite heat so that the sheets are fused with each other);
- belt sander (you can also use a file, but it will take a lot of effort and patience);
- oven (or other device for heating metal for the purpose of tempering);
- drilling machine or drill;
- vice (very helpful in the process.

Knife making process:

Step one. We collect blanks
At this stage, the author prepares the blanks. It is necessary to cut the plates to the desired length, for the author it is 7.6x1.2 cm.It is important to consider here that the larger the workpiece, the more difficult it will be to forge a knife from it. Pre-welding places must be thoroughly cleaned from rust and scale. The plates are stacked with alternating metals.

Finally, a piece of reinforcement must be welded to the workpiece so that it can be placed in the oven. Of course, instead of weld on the rebar, the workpiece can be pulled out with long-handled pliers.

Step two. We send the workpiece to the oven
Now the workpiece is subjected to the first heating and the first forging. The author made a forge from a gas cylinder. Inside, it is lined with refractory cement and koalin wool. Since the furnace is small, it can be easily heated to the required temperatures.

The metal must be heated to a cherry red color, after removing it, it must be immediately sprinkled with brown to remove scale and prevent interaction with oxygen. Especially you need to try to fill up the borax between the slots of the plates, so the metal will mix well and will be as homogeneous as possible. This procedure must be carried out several times, removing the scale if necessary.

Further, the workpiece is heated to the forging temperature, according to the author, this is in the region of 1260-1315 o C. The metal should become bright yellow or orange in color. Before removing the workpiece, you need to make sure that you already have an anvil and a hammer at hand, as the metal cools down and you cannot waste time.

As a result, by forging, the workpiece is pulled out so that it can be bent.

Step three. Stirring steel
At this step, the workpiece is heated many times and lends itself to forging, the more times this is done, the better the metal will mix. First, the workpiece must be forged in such a way that it becomes twice as long in length than it was. Stretch the metal as evenly as possible. Next, a notch is made in the middle with a chisel, and the workpiece is folded in half. After that, it is reheated and forged until the two plates are homogeneous. In total, the author folded the metal 4 times, as a result, having received 112 layers.
When pinching multiple layers, it is important to always use a drill and scrape off the scale.

The formula for calculating the layers is as follows: the initial number * 2 in the degree of the number of folds, that is, 7 * 2 ^ 4 = 112).

At the end, the workpiece is warmed up again to the forging temperature, inserted with the edge into the anvil groove and twisted in a spiral. Then this spiral must be reforged into a rectangular shape again. In conclusion, you can make sure that the layers are uniform by cleaning one or more edges of the workpiece.

Step four. Forging the main profile
At this stage, the author forms the main profile of the knife by forging. At this stage, you can also set the bevels of the knife, so that later you have to work less with a grinder or a file, which in the latter case is very sad.

Step five. Grinding the profile
If you don't have grinding machine then you will need a lot of time and effort to complete this step. Here you will need a file and a grinder.

Towards the end of sanding, holes must be drilled in the workpiece to hold the handle. Here you will also need to finalize some details with a file with a grain size of 400. You also need to sharpen the knife for the first time, but you do not need to make it sharp, since it can be skewed during hardening.

Step six. Metal hardening
Tempering is a very crucial moment in the manufacture of a knife. The strength of the future blade depends on it, and if the technology is violated, the workpiece can easily be spoiled altogether. The first step is to release the steel as much as possible. This is done so that the metal does not lead during quenching and the blade does not warp. The metal is tempered by several heating to a temperature at which the steel will no longer be attracted by the magnet. There should be from three to five such heatings in total. The steel should cool down gradually in the open air.

After that, the steel can be hardened. It heats up once again to a critical temperature and then sinks into warm oil. High-carbon steel does not need to be quenched in water, as it cools the metal too quickly and it breaks down.

After hardening, the steel must be released so that it is not brittle. To do this, the workpiece is placed in an oven with a temperature of 205 degrees and heated for an hour. Then she needs to be allowed to cool down gradually.

Step seven. Blade etching
When etched, the blade gets a characteristic pattern. The whole thing happens chemically without the use of electricity. Ferric chloride must be prepared according to the instructions, from the author it is three parts of water and one part of ferric chloride. Standing for only 3-5 minutes.

Damascus steel (Damascus) Is a steel obtained by the forging method from a package consisting of different types of metal. Due to the presence of these layers, the Damascus steel knife has a characteristic pattern on the surface. The main advantage of Damascus is the combination of hardness and flexibility, which is obtained precisely due to the "mixing" of different-grade metal, but still Damascus is significantly inferior in its characteristics to damask steel. With some stretch, we can say that Damascus steel is an artificial damask. But welding damascus and cast damask are completely different steels. The fundamental difference between Damascus and Damascus is that Damascus is a homogeneous high-carbon steel, and Damascus is a composition of layers of different-grade metal.

There is a version that welding damascus appeared in Persia as an artificial imitation of real damask as a cheaper material for making weapons. From the South-East, this technology came to Europe, where it turned into a real industry. The heyday of the school of welded Damascus falls on the beginning of the 18th century, in Europe it is Solingen, in Russia - Zlatoust. Magnificent Damascus was also forged in the Caucasus at that time.

Now, among the knife lovers, damascus blade thanks to its qualities and aesthetics, it is gaining strength and recognition. After some oblivion, blacksmiths rediscovered the secrets of its manufacture. It can be assumed that in the near future, after it has gained high popularity, guns with Damascus steel barrels will also appear.

Damascus is a high-carbon steel, with a carbon content of up to 1.3%, with excellent characteristics, often approaching those of real damask steel. The process of making Damascus steel is known and quite simple in conversation and on paper, but there are very few blacksmiths who make Damascus with phenomenal properties. And the whole secret of Damascus is in the smithy, and not every “knife from Damascus” has the qualities that are inherent in this metal.

The essence of obtaining a welding damascus is as follows:

• a package is assembled from a variety of metals with different carbon content,
• sprinkled with flux, heated in a forge and forged,
• as the drawing progresses, the bar is cut across, folded back into a bag and the operation is repeated,
• and so on several times. The number of layers can eventually reach tens of thousands, but the optimal, in our opinion, is about three hundred layers.

If the metal is heated in a gas furnace, then real Damascus steel will not work, since carbon will burn out, but in coal forges, first-class Damascus is born - the blade, being in a burning coal, is well carburized.

It is thanks to the alternation of layers with a high and low carbon content - some hard and others viscous, that the properties for which the Damascus steel knife is famous are achieved.

Depending on how the blacksmith has assembled and welded different grades of steel, the famous "Damascus pattern" is formed and looms. These patterns come in many different forms, but the most common are waves, stripes, mesh, and bouquet.
If you decide buy a knife from damascus, then from the point of view of strength and operational characteristics - the simpler the drawing (the boundaries of the layers represent equal in thickness and without special zigzags of the jet), the better. We recommend choosing just such knives. It is also worth giving preference to a smaller pattern than a large one, as this indicates more layers.

The appearance of the pattern and emphasizing the aesthetics of the Damascus steel knife is achieved by etching.

One of the most popular packages for knives made of Damascus steel is KHVG + U8 + ShKh15

One of the most important rules when handling a Damascus blade is damascus knives cannot be sanded or abraded. These actions will "drive" the drawing inside and the blade will have to be poisoned again.