# Damascus Question



## Kevin (May 12, 2015)

A blacksmithing instructor at a college in Dallas contacted me asking what I would sell my broken and no longer good band saw blades for because he teaches how to make Damascus steel. He said he's looking for blades made from 15n20. But I was under the impression that most bandsaw blades are made from 1070 carbon or something similar. I was planning to tell him he can have all my bad blades for a fair portion of Damascus blanks in return and that I am not greedy. :-) So my questions are:

1) Are there any brand of band saw blades made from 15n20 that you know of? 
2) Can Damascus be made from 1070 carbon?
3) Is there any way for me to to determine the alloy myself, like with an acid test or something?

I called my blade supplier Robert at Kennesaw Supply and he said he thinks the Munkfors blade alloy is proprietary. I'd iagine all blade manufacturers keep that a secret wouldn't you think?


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## ClintW (May 12, 2015)

I have heard the BIG band mill blades are 15n20 or at least really similar. When I looked at starting making knives many people suggested using cutoff from worn out lumber mill band saw blades. The ones I saw pics of where 4-6 inches wide I would guess.


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## NYWoodturner (May 12, 2015)

@robert flynt sent me a piece of metal to practice grinding on that was from an old band saw blade that's like Clint described - It was about 5 or 6 inches wide. I'm sure he could answer most all your questions.


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## Foot Patrol (May 12, 2015)

Although I have not made damascus I would use a high carbon steel like 1080, 1084 and 15n20. I like to know what I am using and the steel is not that expensive. Just my 2 cents.


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## robert flynt (May 12, 2015)

I'm like, foot patrol Scott, prefer to know the steel used in the damascus I use. Was told a lot of those big blade are made with steel from a Swedish company by the Sandvic but I don't know the make up. Some of the older knifemakers used saw blade steel with good success but I always felt, know steel was cheep enough to not have to use something I wasn't sure of. You can check steel to see if it is suitable for a knife by heating it to critical temp. ( non magnetic ) plunging it in oil then put it in a vise and hit it with a hammer. If it breaks kinda like glass it should be alright, you just want know the predictable performance as with a known steel.
As far as making damascus goes you can use some low carbon steel along with high carbon steel because you will get carbon migration, high to low, in the forging process. Throw in some 15N20 which is a high nickle allow steel and you get good definition between the layers so you can see them better. Some makers use pure nickel in the layers to make it more showy. You can use 5160 ( spring steel ), 52100 (ballbearing steel ), O1, W2, and a number of alloy steels mixed with simple steels such as 1095,1080, 1084, and 1070 to make damascus. They just have to be enough difference between the layers so the pattern will show when you etch it. The different layer are different hardness, so the acid eat into the different layers at different rates except in the case cable damascus which depend solely on carbon migration to the outer layer of the individual strands of wire to show a pattern in the etch.

Reactions: Great Post 2 | Informative 3


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