True damascus steel is actually what is known as wootz, which was made in southern India as early as 300 B.C. by heating iron ore, carbon, and other alloying elements in a crucible and casting the steel. Wootz contains bands of micro carbides within a tempered martensite/pearlite structure. These bands create a visible pattern within the blade. Europeans first encountered this steel in the city of Damascus and it became known as damascus steel. Over many, many years, due to some similarity in appearance, pattern welded steel has become known as damascus steel. (Source: Freeden Blades)

Damascus, or pattern welded, steel was a term used by several Western cultures from the Medieval period onward to describe a type of steel used in swordmaking from about 300 BC to 1700 AD. These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be not only tough and resistant to shattering, but capable of being honed to a sharp and resilient edge. Today, the term is used to describe steel that mimics the appearance and performance of Damascus steel, usually that which is produced by either crucible forging or pattern welding.
The original method of producing Damascus steel is not known. Due to differences in raw materials and manufacturing techniques, modern attempts to duplicate the metal have not been entirely successful. Despite this, several individuals in modern times have claimed that they have rediscovered the methods in which the original Damascus steel was produced.
The reputation and history of Damascus steel have given rise to many legends, such as the ability to cut through a rifle barrel or to cut a hair falling across the blade, but no evidence exists to support such claims. A research team in Germany published a report in 2006 revealing nanowires and carbon nanotubes in a blade forged from Damascus steel. This finding was covered by National Geographic and the New York Times. Although modern steel outperforms these swords, microscopic chemical reactions in the production process may have made the blades extraordinary for their time. Some experts expect to discover such nanotubes in more relics as they are analyzed more closely.
According to the journal Jom (member journal of The Metals, Minerals, and Materials Society), the art of producing the famous 16-18th century Damascus steel blades found in many museums was lost long ago. Recently, however, research has established strong evidence supporting the theory that the distinct surface patterns on these blades result from a carbide-banding phenomenon produced by the microsegregation of minor amounts of carbide-forming elements present in the wootz ingots from which the blades were forged. Further, it is likely that wootz Damascus blades with damascene patterns may have been produced only from wootz ingots supplied from those regions of India having appropriate impurity-containing ore deposits.
Archaeotechnology: The Key Role of Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades
Damascus steel is made by combining several different steels, heating, beating, folding, repeat, repeat, repeat...... The skill of the blacksmith will determine the end result. Good quality Damascus steel billets will cost more than the knives this guy was selling as a finished knife. You will often hear how many layers the steel has. If you start with two types of steel, fold it - you now have 4 layers, fold it again - 8 layers, fold it again - 16, 32, 64, etc. Starting wit 6 types - fold it - 12, 24, 48, 96, etc. The steel is welded (blacksmith welding) each time the steel is folded to form one solid piece. The number of layers in the final billet will be dependent on how many folds have been made. Over 1,000 is not uncommon. The pattern will be determined by skill and types of steel used. The patterns are then brought out with acid. The different steels will react at different rates.
crashdive123@ http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-14692.html
Damascus Steel History Iron Metallurgy and Damascus Steel Chronological History Updated October 28th, 2001 |
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3000 to 2000 BC Neolithic period |
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2000 to 1000 BC Copper and bronze period |
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1000 to 500 BC Iron period |
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500
to 400 Iron period |
The use of the iron spreads all over Europe with the spread of the Celt civilization. |
400
to 300 Iron period |
In China the decarburization technique is used to produce steel |
300
to 200 Iron period |
Birth of the Wootz in South India. |
200
to 100 Iron period |
In Europe, birth of the steel. The techniques used to produce steel could be based on iron selection or on carburization. The fire welding technique is used to produce iron weapons with a steel cutting edge. |
100
BC to |
In China hydraulic systems are used to drive the bellows |
100 to 200 | Birth of the Pattern Welded Steel with twist and chevron patterns in sword blades. |
200 to 300 |
|
300 to 400 | |
400 to 500 | |
500 to 600 | The "Merovigiens" use the pattern-welded steels for both their esthetical and mechanical properties. |
600 to 700 | The "Merovingiens" and the "Carolingiens" use the pattern-welded steels. |
700 to 800 | Pattern-welded steels are extensively used in Europe. |
800 to 900 | The "Normands" (Vikings) use pattern-welded steels for their weapons. |
900 to 1000 |
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1000 to 1100 |
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1100 to 1200 |
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1200 to 1300 |
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1300 to 1400 |
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1400 to 1500 | The use of the steel is growing. |
1500 to 1600 | Re-birth of the Pattern-welded steel in Europe, in Russia the blacksmiths produce the Bulat. |
1600 to 1700 | The Pattern-welded steel is mainly used to produce gun barrels in Turkey. |
1700 to 1800 |
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1800 to 1900 |
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1900 to 2000 |
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2000 + | Don't stop hammering... |
Etching
Generally speaking the pattern in forge welded steel is developed by soaking the piece an an acid. The acid will "eat away" some of the metal leaving behind a pattern, produced by the folding during the makmng of the billet, because of the differences in the errosion of the different metals at different rates. Two popular acids to use are Muriatic acid or feric chloride. My favorite supplier of muriatic acid is any place that carries pool supplies. It's often used in swimming pools to lower the pH of the water. My favorite source for ferric chloride used to be Radio Shack. They'd sell it as PCD etching solution (it's used to etch circuit boards). With the demise of Radio Shack, it's not as easy to find as it used to be. You can easily find it on Amazon. In looking it up for this writeup, I found a source for ferric chloride powder. It comes in 4 ounce bottles and mixes with a liter of water (that's just over a quart for us nonmetric types). Of course, you can mix it stronger or weaker to your own preference. One warning I came across however is to mix a little powder at a time since it creates an exothermic reaction; that means it gives off heat. According to George Tichbourne , of Ontario Canada:
From my recent Damascus steel class

The following mixtures were used in the etching tanks:
- Ferric Chloride - 8 oz. to a quart of water
- Neutralizer/Trisodium Phosphate (TSP or Baking Soda) - 1 cup to 1 quart of water
- Wash with clean water
The etching tank setup was made with 3" x 24" PVC pipe, capped at both ends, bottom with a cap and the top with a threaded coupling. They were taped together and stood up in a plastic tube just in case of any spills.

Gee Mom, look what else I've found!
- The Myth Of Damascus Steel
- Making Damascus Steel 1
- Making Damascus Steel 2
- Making Damascus Steel 3
- Making Damascus Steel 4
- Forging and Twisting Damascus Steel
- How to Create Damascus Patterns | Blade Magazine
- The Creation of a Pattern Welded Blade - Freedon Blades
- Pattern Welding Information
- Notes on Pattern Welded Steel
- Pattern Welded Steel
- Bicycle/Chain Saw Damascus
- Basket Weave Damascus in a Cannister
- FEATHER PATTERN DAMASCUS
- JellyRoll Damascus
- Iron Metallurgy and Damascus Steel Chronological History
- Wootz Steel: An Advanced Material of the Ancient World
- Cable Damascus
- Forge welding wire rope - Cable Damascus Knife
- How To Forge Weld Cable Damascus
- Cable Damascus Dagger
History
Cable Damascus
Etching
Wisdom of my father: "It takes more of a man to walk away from a fight than to stay and fight." |
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