Damascus Knives

What is Damascus?

Pattern welding or Damascening, the traditional method for making decorative patterns on forged products, originated some hundred years before Christ.

The process was first seen in Persia around 500 BC and used to produce welded blades. The laminate composition of a Damascus Steel blade is attained by alternating layers of soft malleable wrought iron and a hardenable and temperable steel with a high carbon content. The steel portion of the blade gives it strength and the ability to hold a fine edge, while the iron provides elasticity so it won't break when struck. The layering of the steel patterns revealed by etching the surface has been refined into a decorative art.

The term Damascus Steel itself comes from the European Crusades who came in contact with these superior weapons at the trading city of Damascus. When the technology spread across Asia into India it was called Wootz. The Japanese surpassed all other regions with their refinement of lamination techniques. The Japanese have a rich vocabulary that developed along with the development of the manufacture of this steel, with up to 100 individual words for pattern welding. One such term is mokume, "wood eye metal".

Today the pattern-welding technique is used for the most exclusive knives and swords. The material choice is limited to steel types which are hot workable enough and possible to weld by forging. Stainless grades or tool steels are very difficult to work in this respect, and mainly only low alloy carbon steels have been used.

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