Some knives

[Chris Cramer]

that conjures up a much more romantic image than what I do!

The reality of heat treating, the way I do it, is pretty boring for most people. I'm kind of into it- it's all about precision and understanding some of the metallurgical science behind how and why the alloys I use are developed, and following strict guidelines wrt quench rate curves, austenitizing temperatures, tempering temperatures etc.

I know a few guys who've extracted blooms from sand and then forged blades from it. While I respect the tradition and dedication of all that, and enjoy forging myself, there really is no comparison, performance wise, between blades made that way and blades made from many of the alloys available these days.

There is art and science wrapped into knife making, which is why I enjoy it. I think there is room for any and all interpretations of how to go about it, my angle is mostly centered around ergonomic interface, and cutting performance.

I definitely agree with you here. IMO forging is more suitable for wrought ironwork or other forms of shaping. Many people aren't familiar with the term bladesmithing apart from blacksmithing. As you said, bladesmithing requires precise heat treatment for the metalurgy used for the blades purpose along with proper edge geometry.
As for Damascus steel, I see that as an art that pays no benefit to the performance of a bade but only the appearance. Most Damascus is made from 15n20 and 1085 carbon steel which are two of the most standard carbon steels with very limited hardenability. It takes quite a bit more time and money to make a stainless Damascus blade which still looses toughness over the process of repetitive forge welding compared to a blade made with high grade blade steel like S35VN or CPM Magnacut.

 

[Bandit]

Yes, the many types of alloy steels have many benefits for knife making. However, it is good to remember that these various types did not exist some years ago. Damascus was a step forward to get a robust tougher material that was somewhat flexible and could hold an edge. It has also been stated by some that the method of making the legendary original Damascus has long been lost. I don’t know. Though it would seem to have been amazing compared to a cast bronze or cast iron knife/sword during a time when any metal was valuable and in many cases reused many times. The amount of work to get the metal and then work it into a useful tool is very much unimaginable by people today.
It is also amazing some of the swords that have been found that are many hundreds of years old in swamps, bogs etc. still in almost useable condition that were made from meterite metals and perhaps some made by processes that were not thought to be possible at the time.
Some of the “Damascus” I have seen at a few shows lately varies from painted, laser?marked, etched etc. junk, in many cases not even two alloys joined together with glue, LOL.
A rant, perhaps. I still enjoy seeing knives made by people that take some pride in the pieces they have made. A good tool that feels proper in the hand, fits and can do its job can sometimes be hard to find in this time of mass production of things that are barely one step away from being in the garbage.

 

[historicalarms]

The most beautiful Damascus-looking knife i ever seen at a show was made from a piece of hammered out combine roller chain

 

[PeterT]

Are there any knifemaking shows / meetups in Calgary? I saw a gathering years ago at Reynolds museum 'metal artisans' theme or something like that but I dont believe it was a annual event.

 

[Lorien]

my friend, Stuart Branson- also lives here on the island- is an incredible maker. He's my forging guru.

 

[Bandit]

The most beautiful Damascus-looking knife i ever seen at a show was made from a piece of hammered out combine roller chain

I have seen a couple made from power saw chain.