How to make damascus at home. The process of making knives from Damascus steel. Making a knife from Damascus steel
The famous Damascus steel. What qualities did these amazing blades have? What is the secret of ancient technology? Damascus for its time was a revolutionary breakthrough in the creation of high-strength metal and new technology. The legendary swords that cut through the silk scarf had an extraordinary sharpness. Isn't this a myth? The forge of the twenty-first century is the realm of traditional technology. The principle of creation has not changed for centuries. The main elements of this production: open fire, hammer, anvil, blacksmith's skill. A sign of the new time in the profession of a blacksmith is the raw materials. In the old days, artisans themselves mined ore, then processed it into metal. Modern blacksmiths, as a rule, operate with steel with alloying additives. These impurities give the metal individual characteristics.
The superiority of Damascus steel over all other alloys is a common myth. Scholars believe that this is a figment of the imagination of the writers of the early nineteenth century. In the historical novels of the time, the blades of Damascus had miraculous properties. They cut through like butter. Historians and metallurgists refute these legends. To resist modern steels, ancient Damascus could hardly have been able to. It, nevertheless, was somewhat simpler in chemical composition and the steels that were used in it were not so interesting. The "Damascus" that today's craftsmen create is, as a rule, the use of already initially high-strength steels with good characteristics.
Nevertheless, the "Damascus" of its time was really distinguished by its high strength and flexibility. This combination made Damascus steel an excellent weapon. The secret is in a special alloy.
In its purest form, iron is a very soft metal, and is not suitable. Therefore, a person uses alloys - compounds of iron with other chemical elements. An indispensable component of these compounds is carbon. It gives the alloy hardness. For example, in usually a nail, carbon is hundredths of a percent (0.06-0.16%) of the total metal. And in a railway rail from 0.5 to 0.7%. Iron alloys containing less than 2.14% carbon are called steel. After a special heat treatment, it acquires another important quality - elasticity.
The main secret of the Damascus production technology is a multi-layer blank, which consists of alloys with different carbon contents. Damascus steel is one of the first composite materials in history. "Damascus" is a welding technology when there is a diffusion convergence of layers of two, three or more steels by pressure. The main part of the package, which consists of steels rich in carbon, gives special hardness to "Damascus". The source of elasticity of the future product is alloying additives and iron. So, the alternation of layers of metal with a very high and very low carbon content, gave the new material: hardness, elasticity and toughness (impact resistance).
Traces of this cocktail can be seen with the naked eye. The characteristic pattern on the Damascus blade is the optical effect of the uneven distribution of carbon. "Damascus" has its own unique "face", its pattern, its beauty in iron. Homogeneous material is even in color, not so interesting. It is usually painted, or to create some kind of image.
The high qualities of a particular Damascus steel blade are laid down at the initial stage. There is no perfect recipe for creating a "package". The selection of raw materials, their proportions, the principle of combining, in ancient times, any of the elements of this process, was the secret of the master, the foundation of the superiority of his weapons.
Made of Damascus steel - the pride of any hunter. Thanks to the manufacturing technology, such a tool cuts the hardest natural materials and fabrics. He keeps a sharp edge well. However, the product of these masters is rarely used for its intended purpose. The main function of their steel works is decorative.
The desire to make Damascus steel with your own hands must have a certain expediency. The appearance of such material is explained quite simply. 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, intimidating the enemy. Having a handy sword of light weight, it is easier to hit an enemy clad in armor.
Even large-sized knights (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 the protection, penetrated into the joints of armor, inflicting mortal wounds. Particular strength made it possible to manufacture convenient weapons with a small mass.
Bulat and Damascus
Drawing of Damascus steel on a saw cut of metal:
The term Damascus steel appeared relatively recently. In various sources, a similar name for a forged product began to appear in the middle of the 19th century. Prior to this, the name "Gurda" was more often used, as the creations of blacksmiths from the Caucasus and Mesopotamia were called. There they began to forge products from a mixture of alloys, achieving an unusual pattern on the surface of the blades.
Bulat, as historical studies show, came from India. In museums of history, samples of weapons have been preserved, where casting blanks made of alloyed 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 master spends a lot of time to make a certain sample. When it comes to mass production, they do not count on complex technology.
Only the Zlatoust Arms Plant (the only large enterprise) produces damask blades. By special order, Damascus steel products are produced. Prices for goods are high, but there is a stable demand for products not only within Russia, but also abroad.
The metallurgist Pavel Petrovich Anosov was engaged in the study of production technology and the creation of industrial technologies. The results of his work are present in all textbooks on metallurgy 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. Quite a lot of weapons since that time are currently being sold on various Internet resources. Modern blacksmiths produce a remake (the so-called products that are made in the image and likeness of old samples). Several hundred workshops offer copies that are difficult to distinguish from the original.
Scout knife NR-40, made in 1942 - more than 7 million copies 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 steel and Damascus steel can be quite an 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 feedstock:
- Damask steel is an alloy in which there is a significant amount of alloying elements; during subsequent forging, platinum is connected by forging welding, which gives the product a complex of new properties.
- Damascus is a mechanical connection of metal blanks that differ in their properties. Forging up to several tens of layers is performed.
Use of high quality steel in products
Not only weapons need durable materials. Structural materials with special properties are used in a wide variety of industries.
Forged products are used in cars, railway transport, agricultural machines, and space ships. Only a very simplified technology is used. Forging is used to obtain fine grains in the structure of the metal. Possible shells that are present in the castings are eliminated.
An example of a modern blade with a pronounced pattern:
For Damascus steel, note the pros and cons.
Positive characteristics
- High strength of the product, withstands the load applied in different directions (compressive, tensile, bending and other types of loads).
- Wear resistance of the cutting edge, keeps sharpness for a long time.
- It has an unusual appearance, it is impossible to repeat the pattern on a similar object, making 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, their own methods and sequence of forging can be used.
Flaws
The main disadvantage is the high labor costs for the production of the product. You 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 items made of Damascus steel. They are wiped with vegetable or mineral oils, and then the excess is removed with a dry rag. Original weapons are processed at least once a year. Then it stays for a long time.
Finca in Damascus steel, modern product:
Equipping a workshop for the production of products
In the workshop of a home craftsman who wants to make Damascus steel products, you need to have:
- Welding machine - with its help, plates of materials of different strengths are welded into a single unit, which can be processed together.
- Forge - it heats blanks from finished objects to high temperatures (more than 800 ⁰С).
- An anvil is needed for forging. Forge welding is performed by the deformation method, the shape of the part changes at different stages of processing.
- A set of hammers and hammers helps to strike with different strengths. When they work together, the lead blacksmith, with blows of a light hammer, shows the helper places for striking with a heavy hammer.
- A vice is used to fix workpieces at different stages of work.
- A drilling machine is required for drilling holes.
- The grinding machine is used more often than others, on which products are shaped and sharpened.
- A grinder is a variant of a sharpening machine, the distinguishing 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.
- Machine for the manufacture of descents. High-quality sharpening to razor sharpness is possible only on a special device that allows you to move along a strictly defined trajectory.
- Bulgarian with a set of cutting and cleaning discs. A simple tool helps you perform a wide variety of activities.
Sharpening the blade on the grinder:
In addition to the main set of machines and fixtures, many craftsmen additionally use woodworking equipment. It helps to make handles from durable wood species. Small lathes help create intricate fittings that decorate finished items.
Homemade miniature grinder, grinding descents:
In workshops that produce quality knives, there are rollers. On them, heated billets are rolled 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. Pneumatic or hydraulic press is used for volumetric compression of metal. With one movement, the desired geometry is attached.
Some craftsmen have matrices and punches that allow plastic deformation to give a standard shape, for example, to push a fuller on a blade (used to stiffen while reducing weight).
Blanks for the production of damask steel
It is not difficult to make damask steel; for its production, steels and alloys with predetermined properties are used. Finished products and special ingots are used. Blacksmith workshops use scrap metal or parts purchased from the distribution network. The table shows the materials that are most often used for the manufacture of forged items.
Step-by-step technology for making damask steel from a bearing
Products from finished ingots or blanks are produced in the following sequence.
The inner ring of the bearing is made of ShKh-15 alloy. It is sawn with a cutting disc of a grinder, sent to the furnace for heating. The desired heating temperature is 900 ... 950 ⁰С.
The workpiece is held on the anvil with blacksmith tongs. Beating the bulges with a hammer, a strip is formed from the ring.
Remove hollows 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 slopes 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 sheath. Then the product can be considered finished.
Blanks for the production of Damascus
Any craftsman 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 shown in the table. Some workshops offer their own options. The proposed schemes give the best performance.
Starting production in your own workshop, it is not difficult to find out how much the finished product costs. Many online shopping sites list prices. As you gain experience and improve the quality of the product, 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 a product made from it are more difficult to make. But the finished sample will have a more attractive appearance. Below is the sequence for making the blade.
From several segments of the cable, blanks are prepared. They are welded with stainless steel rods. The cable is a hard metal, and stainless steel is a soft, ductile material.
Flushing is carried out before starting work. Used in diesel fuel. It is desirable to wash the existing organic inclusions.
The primary firing takes place in the muffle furnace.
Borax helps to get rid of scale. At high temperature, the slag will not linger inside the billet.
First cleaning forging. Weak blows. It is necessary to mechanically shake out possible slags, then shells will not form.
Forging with a light hammer allows you to give a rectangular shape. First, the surface layer is compacted.
Forging with a heavy hammer is carried out to seal the entire internal space. The task of this operation is to obtain a monolithic product.
On the machine, a strip of the desired size is created. Now the workpiece, according to its parameters, turns into a plate.
After forging on the machine, the desired pattern appears on the workpiece.
If you do not like the appearance, then you can reforge. Skillful 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. On the edge, the hardness is HRC 60…63. The rest of the blade will remain plastic.
The handle is forged on a heavy press of 120 tons.
The blade takes on the desired shape. Heating more than 900 ⁰С makes the metal very ductile.
The handle is forged.
The finished forging already has a rather attractive appearance. It is necessary to grind down the slopes so that the cutting edges are formed.
The slopes are finished. The blade is ready for further work. The hardest part of the job is done.
The drawing 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 its inherent structure. With the help of acid, a deeper pattern is achieved.
Another possible option. If at the stage of welding of future elements the thickness of the cable and stainless steel is changed, then new types of Damascus can be obtained each time.
Using other materials, you can create other types of blades.
There are many opinions about Damascus steel. Someone claims that her recipe is lost. And when you say that it is Damascus steel, they look with a smile and leave. Others have heard little about it at all, and ask ridiculous questions, “What is this drawn with?” or "Why is the blade not polished?".
Of course, in fairness, it should be noted that from year to year there are fewer and fewer ignorant people (especially in the city of Moscow). Once a person works with a knife made of high-quality Damascus once, he will never acquire a knife made of any other steel.
In terms of cutting properties, high-quality Damascus steel surpasses steel of other grades (be it 65X13, 440C, 95X18) several times. Its only drawback is that it rusts. Therefore, she needs constant care. He worked with a knife - wiped it dry, smeared it with neutral oil or grease and removed it. If suddenly rusty spots appear on the steel, they need to be removed with very fine sandpaper with oil or better with kerosene. In principle, caring for such a knife is no more than caring for a gun with non-chrome-plated bores. All the troubles are compensated by excellent cutting properties (which cannot be compared with any stainless steel: both domestic and imported). Let's analyze what is the secret of the cutting properties of Damascus steel. First, in manufacturing technology. Damascus is made in the following way. It is obtained as a result of a long technological process performed only by hand. Several types of steels (both hard and soft) are taken as a basis, which are assembled in a certain sequence to form a package (We do not name steel grades, because the secret of good Damascus steel lies precisely in the correct selection and proportions of various metals). A prerequisite is that hard steels are taken more than soft ones. The steel package is placed in the hearth and heated to the forging temperature. After that, special additives are applied to prevent the formation of oxides that prevent plates of various types from welding together. Next, the package is pierced several times with a hammer and sent to the hearth for heating for welding. As soon as the package warms up, it is deposited under the hammer, then sent back to the hearth and warmed up for subsequent stretching. When the plate is welded and shaped to size, it is heated again and chopped into the required number of plates, which are stripped of oxide and collected in a package. The whole process is repeated from the beginning. The number of repetitions of the process is proportional to the quality of the product, according to the order. After the welding process, and there can be from three to ten, the plate is forged to the required blade size. Then the steel is normalized and the workpiece goes to further work. Steel obtained in this way is characterized by increased strength, excellent cutting properties and beauty. Damascus LLC "Russian Bulat" has from 400 layers of metal and more. As a result of the process, a unique pattern appears, as unique as fingerprints.
Sometimes at exhibitions you have to hear that a purchased Damascus steel knife quickly became dull. The answer is simple. Either a person bought "Damascus" (i.e. stainless steel 65X13, 95X18 pickled in a special way), or he purchased Damascus, welded from soft metals. Such metal is much easier and faster to weld. It is almost impossible to visually distinguish it from high-quality Damascus. Soft Damascus was previously used to make guns, because. for these purposes, viscosity was required and the cutting properties of the metal were not needed. A soft Damascus knife (no matter how beautiful its design is!), Cuts worse than any stainless steel knife. When trying to harden such a knife, no matter how hard you try, it is often not harder than 48 units. HRC. The knife of the company "Russian Bulat" has a hardness of at least 60 units. HRC (and usually 62-64 HRC). Some believe that a knife at 64 units. HRC becomes brittle.
This is true for homogeneous steels (U10, 95X18), but does not apply to properly forged Damascus. This, of course, does not mean that a knife with a hardness of 64 units. HRC can be bent into a ring! But with limited contact with bones (when butchering an animal), as well as with small chopping blows, this combination of hardness and elasticity is quite enough. A good knife steel should be not only hard, but also flexible. Let's answer the question: "How does a knife blunt?". This happens in two ways. If you look at the cutting edge of a blunt knife under a microscope, you can consider two situations:
The cutting edge is bent. (This indicates that the steel is too soft);
The cutting edge has broken off. (This indicates that the steel is too hard).
On the hunt, I had to watch the work of a knife made of steel 95X18. The owner assured that he bought the knife for decent money from one of the famous masters (When selling the knife, they touted it: hardness 70 HRC units, steel taken from a spaceship wreckage, laser sharpening, etc.). But when the hunt came to an end, the elk was taken, the owner of the “wonderful knife” came up to the huntsman and offered to work with the knife. Five minutes later, the huntsman politely returns the knife and advises to buy something better (they say, such a knife is only suitable for cutting lard and sausage!). The owner is offended and tries to butcher the beast himself.
He is surprised to notice that the knife slides, but does not cut .... And the reason is the following. The knife was really hardened to the utmost hardness. Steel 95X18 does not differ in particular flexibility, and when quenched over 60 units. HRC generally loses all elasticity. In this case, at the beginning of work, the cutting edge simply broke off. And visually it is not noticeable. When you try to sharpen the knife again, everything repeats. Often the cutting edge breaks off during the sharpening process, so it turns out a paradox: you sharpen the blade, the blade grinds, but the knife is still dull!
Another situation with mild steel. For example, 40X13. The cutting edge bends when blunting such a knife. Cutting with such a knife is possible if you keep a stone for dressing with you - you worked a little, shuffled over the stone, worked again, shuffled again. It's definitely better than the first one!
From stainless steel, the optimal brand is 65X13. Although it is far from high-quality Damascus. Often this steel grade is called medical steel. For people brought up in the Soviet Union, the terms "medical", "military", "space" act magically. 65X13 is a good steel for knives. But the term "medical" is difficult to apply to it. Firstly, scalpels from 65X13 steel began to be made only at the end of the 80s, and before that carbon steels U8, U10 coated with chromium were used.
Secondly, the tasks of the surgeon, who makes very small incisions during the operation, and the hunter, butchering an elk or a bear, are completely different. In addition, the medical scalpel is not reused during operations (scalpels with disposable removable blades soon appeared). Therefore, the term "medical" steel is not yet binding. Although we have been using this steel for inexpensive models for a long time.
Let's get back to Damascus steel knives. These knives, manufactured by the Russian Bulat company, were tested by hunters in various parts of the country. In 99% - a positive assessment of the work of the knife is given. 1% - are people who use the knife for other purposes. (For example, there was a Mr. who tried to cut a tractor valve with a knife, another, in a fair amount of drunkenness, threw a knife at a tree, etc.). According to the reviews of various hunters, two elks in a row were skinned and butchered with a knife without additional sharpening; five small boars; large billhook; a few beavers. Maslennikov V.S. I personally tried to remove the skin from two moose with a knife from one sharpening (the knife continued to cut after that!). If you look under magnification at the cutting edge of a Damascus knife after butchering an elk, we will see a micro-saw. It turned out due to the fact that the soft steels were slightly crumpled, while the hard ones remained sharp due to the additionally acquired viscosity during the forging process. Therefore, when we look at the cutting edge of the knife after a long work, the blade shines in places and it seems that the knife has become dull, and when we start cutting, it turns out that the knife cuts no worse than a new one! Even when the Damascus knife is completely dull, it is enough to gently correct it with a sharpening stone to restore the cutting properties. Here the effect of straightening the soft parts of the cutting edge is triggered. After a long work, in a winter hut or at a hunting base, the knife must be wiped, the cutting edge corrected on a good stone, lubricated with oil and put into a case.
The question that interests many is “Which is better: Damascus or bulat?”. What is Damascus and what is bulat? Steel, prepared from plates in the process of hearth welding, is commonly called "Damascus". Steel, melted in a crucible and cooled in a special way, is commonly called "bulat". There is also an intermediate technology, when cast plates are mixed with other steels, by means of forge welding. Good damascus and good damask steel from a consumer point of view are one and the same. The same hardness, the same micro-saw effect, is also easy to sharpen... Bad Damascus and bad damask steel are the same: neither one nor the other will cut! In order not to buy a bad knife, you need to purchase a knife from a well-known company with a quality guarantee.
Now there are many different individual entrepreneurs and new firms that are engaged in the production of knives recently. Previously, the organizers of these firms were engaged in anything but metalworking; and absolutely not versed in metals. They do not have the necessary production base, blades are not made, but bought up, where it is cheaper .... When buying a knife from such firms, it is difficult to hope that it will serve for a long time (although there are no rules without exceptions). Although the prices of many individual entrepreneurs for Damascus knives are quite low (from 900 rubles to 1500 rubles). When purchasing a knife, it should be remembered that, subject to the technological process, a knife made of Damascus steel will cost from 2000 rubles. up to 3500 rub. Tempted by cheaper knives, you run the risk of remembering the proverb: “The miser pays twice!” Cast damask steel is somewhat more expensive to manufacture than Damascus. Question: “Why does one and the same firm have one Damascus knife worth 3,000 rubles, and another $ 300?”. On expensive knives, end Damascus is used. What is it, "blade from end Damascus"?
Take two, three or four plates of different patterns, layers and properties of Damascus. They are welded together along the height of the blade and follow the contour of the cutting edge. What does it give?
This gives beauty to the product (due to beautifully selected three or four patterns);
It allows you to put a very hard damascus with a large amount of hard metal on the cutting edge, soft damascus is used on the butt of the blade (the same one from which weapon barrels were made). Thanks to the combination of these Damascus, the strength of the knife increases. The cutting properties of such a blade (albeit not much) increase.
The main effect of end Damascus is beauty and unique author's work. The best specialist in end Damascus in Russia is Mr. Arkhangelsky and his daughter, Maria. Their prices, of course, are much higher. One more question has to be answered: “How many layers does your Damascus contain?”. For ourselves, we determined the optimal ratio of price and quality - 400 layers. Even a specialist cannot visually determine the number of layers. As a rule, blacksmiths know how many layers they have forged. A record is kept for each batch of Damascus…. From buyers at the exhibition you hear: “You have 400 layers of Damascus, and your neighbors have 600 layers!”. It is important to remember: depending on what to layer. You can forge Damascus in 600 layers of nails and it will be worse than Damascus, which has 200 layers of good metal. And more. When forging, above 400 layers, it is required to change the production process (it is necessary to additionally saturate the metal with carbon, because carbon burns out during the heating process), which significantly increases the cost of the workpiece (and, accordingly, the knife). If a knife in 1000 layers is forged in the same way as in 400 layers, then no matter what metal you take, it will look like metal from cans. But if you take this seriously, observing the technology, then a knife made of 1000-1500-layer Damascus will be better than a 400-layer one, but its cost should also be at least $200.
People often ask: “Which damask is better: with a longitudinal pattern or with a transverse twisted pattern?”. From a consumer point of view, it doesn't matter. Like mosaic Damascus. Only some types of end Damascus may differ in working qualities. Often, mosaic Damascus is inferior in cutting properties to the usual one. Because often, in the pursuit of pattern, little attention is paid to the cutting properties of the metal.
A question often asked at exhibitions: "Does your knife cut nails?". Of course, it is not very clear why people cut nails with a knife ?! Maybe they are connected with this occupation by the nature of their work or have mental disabilities ... But, we will still try to answer this question. Let's just say that cutting nails is not such a big problem! Knife made of any steel with a hardness of 50 units. HRC on the working part will cut the nail. You just need to change it a little constructively: the thickness of the blade in the cutting part should be at least 1 mm (thicker is better), and the sharpening angle is at least 45 degrees (bigger is better). Order such a knife, and you will be able to chop all the desired nails! Remember that the hardness of a nail is much lower than the hardness of a knife (even from mediocre steel), it's all about the design of the blade. For Damascus steel, when cutting nails, the thickness of the working part can be made less than 1 mm (up to 0.6 mm), the angle can also be smaller. There are knives that cut paper, then cut a nail (by hitting the butt with a hammer) and then the knife can cut paper again (though a little worse). In general, if you want to check the quality of a blade on a nail, it is not necessary to cut it. It is enough to cut the nail or make small notches on it. Any knife made of good Damascus steel will withstand this operation without any problems. We do not take into account knives with a very thin working part of 0.1 m or thinner (for example, fillet knives and the Uzbek knife). And yet, we do not recommend doing such experiments with knives, because. We believe that an adult does not acquire a knife for this.
Of course, if in an emergency you have to use a knife to cut nails, rope or thick wire - that's another matter. You don't have to do this unless you need to. There are other tools for this (for example: chisels, metal cutters), which are much cheaper than a good knife. With such constant experiments, especially if the objects being cut turn out to be red-hot, your knife will still break. Our company produces knives for hunters, fishermen, hikers, and lovers of long hikes. The knife can easily open tin cans without sharpening, it is easy to butcher the carcass of a large animal (elk, bear) without sharpening, and when planing wood, it keeps sharpening for several days in a row. They can process several tens of kilograms of fish. It is for these purposes that the Russian Bulat company produces knives. If the knife is used for its intended purpose, the company gives a guarantee for the blade for 10 years! Since our company is already 13 years old, and during this time there were practically no complaints about blades from our Damascus. If a person buys a knife for cutting nails, throwing at a tree and all kinds of experiments, then it is better to contact some other company. True, as practice shows, if a person decides to break a knife, he will break it anyway, no matter where and no matter what steel the knife is made of! But this is already a sign of insanity.
We wish all readers of this article good shopping and successful hunting!
The material was prepared by the General Director of Russian Bulat LLC Maslennikov V.S.
I present to your attention a high-quality stylish knife made of Damascus steel, which you can do with your own hands. Damascus steel is a steel that is heterogeneous in its composition. This is achieved by forging, when different grades of steel are mixed. And if such a metal is then immersed in acid, a unique pattern is formed on it, since each steel changes its color in different ways.
In this tutorial, we will look at how you can make your own Damascus steel. More modern technologies will be used here. We get Damascus by dismounting two or three types of steel. As a basis, steel powder will be used here, as well as steel balls. It is thanks to the balls that we get an interesting pattern. In principle, the forging process is not difficult, but requires a forging furnace, an anvil, and some experience. Working with hot metal is very dangerous, so you must follow all safety rules. So, let's move on to making a knife!
Materials and tools that were used by the author:
List of materials:
- steel tube (preferably carbon steel);
- steel balls;
- steel powder;
- some sheet metal for plugs;
- wood for overlays;
- brass rods or bushings for pins;
- wood impregnation oil;
- epoxy adhesive.
List of tools:
- blacksmith furnace, anvil and hammer;
- belt sander;
- acid for pickling steel;
- Bulgarian;
- drill;
- welding machine;
- caliper;
- hardening oil, electrical tape and more.
Knife making process:
Step one. We form the workpiece
First of all, we need to make a blank from balls, steel powder and a piece of pipe, from which the blade will then be made. To do this, pour the powder and balls into the steel pipe. You need to fall asleep in portions, that is, a few balls, then a little powder, and so on. The balls must first be washed well in soapy water so that there are no traces of oil on them. You can also wash them in acetone. We weld the bottom of the pipe using steel round timber.
As for the metal of the pipe, it is desirable that it also be carbon steel.
Well, then we brew the other end and send the whole thing to the oven. You need to warm up to a yellow glow and with this warming up we perform forging. We bend metal from different sides. It is extremely important for us to mix all the metals together. You will need to heat the workpiece more than once, but forging is never easy. After that, we get an excellent metal for a knife.
Step two. Checking the metal
When, in your opinion, the workpiece is ready, you need to check the quality of the metal. First, take a grinder and cut off the edges of the plate. The metal should be uniform, without shells and other defects. Further along the contour we go through a belt grinder. Similarly, we look to see if we mixed the metal well. If everything is fine, you can proceed to the next step - the formation of a knife profile.
Step three. Blade profile
The author sets the profile of the blade by forging. First, we form the tip of the knife, and then we can make bevels on the blade. We approach the formation of bevels responsibly, the blade should be even, but not too thin. There is no need to rush in this matter, we work with a hammer on both sides.
Finally, you will need to separate the blade from the handle. To do this, we work with the sharp part of the hammer. If everything is fine, make sure your blade is straight. On this forging can be completed.
Step four. Blade grinding
Having formed the primary profile, you can proceed to grinding. The easiest way to deal with such tasks is with a belt grinder. We carefully grind the entire blade, both on the plane and along the contour. Do not sharpen the blade at this step, its thickness should not be less than 1 mm. Otherwise, the blade may warp or crack when hardened.
Step five. Heat treatment of metal
Perhaps this step is the most important in the manufacture of a quality knife. Thanks to heat treatment, we can make the metal from which the knife is made become as hard as possible. The temperature regime for each steel grade is individual, but if you do not know what kind of steel, you can follow the basic rules. For example, if the metal is heated to the hardening temperature, a permanent magnet is no longer attracted to it. But this method is not accurate. Also, many craftsmen are able to determine the desired temperature by color, for most steels it should be yellow.
The first thing the author does is to normalize the metal after forging. To do this, it must be warmed up and allowed to cool gradually. The author places the blade in a bag of coal and sends it to the furnace. Further, the workpiece can already be hardened, for this we again heat the blade and immerse it in oil. The procedure can be repeated several times, but usually once is enough. If after that the blade is not taken with a file, then the steel is hardened.
However, there is one pitfall here, if the steel is not released after hardening, it will be brittle. That is, we need to make the metal a little softer so that it springs and does not break. For this, a household oven is enough. It needs to be heated to a temperature of about 200 ° C and the knife needs to be heated for about 1-1.5 hours, depending on the thickness of the metal. If the tempering was successful, the blade should turn straw-coloured. Now your knife will be able to withstand huge bending loads as well as impact loads.
Step six. Grinding and drilling holes
After hardening, there will be a coating on the metal that needs to be cleaned off. We put a not too large belt on the tape machine and grind it. If desired, the blade can be made shiny, like a mirror.
We also need to drill holes for the pins in the handle. But to do such a procedure with hardened metal is very difficult. In this regard, we take a gas burner and warm up the handle. Let it cool down gradually. After that, the metal will be drilled with conventional metal drills. That's all, now it remains to make a pen. Wrap the blade with electrical tape or masking tape so as not to cut yourself during subsequent work.
Step seven. Let's prepare the overlays
Overlays can be made from various materials, it can be plastic, textolite, bones, horns and much more. In our case, this is the most popular and sought-after material - wood. We select a board from a beautiful type of wood with a beautiful pattern and make two overlays. If desired, some other material can be glued to the lining so that the handle is combined.
Step eight. Blade etching
Since we have Damascus steel, we need to remember to highlight the very cherished pattern. To do this, we need a reagent that actively reacts with steel. We clean the blade with sandpaper, clean it with acetone, otherwise the fat will not allow the acid to work. Well, then we lower the blade into acid for a while. But don't forget the knife, as the steel can completely dissolve the blade. We take out the knife and wash it in water with soda, it neutralizes the acid. That's all, now we have a bizarre, unique pattern on the steel.
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