Advanced Damascus Patterning Course

 NEW! Read more about our new Advanced Damascus Patterning DVD/CD-ROM Tutorial course.
Damascus Knife Making Newsletter Read past issues of our BladeSmith Tips Weekly Ezine. You can also subscribe on this page.
Video Archive Footage - see a few flips of Damascus knife making as it happens.
About Hammersmith Knives & Publications, JD Smith, and contact information.
Resources - visit our hand-picked links and resources section to expand your knowledge and experience.

Why choose Damascus Steel as a Bladesmith

There has been a question in the minds of many who are as yet uninitiated in the discipline of bladesmithing. While it may seem obvious to the rest of us, I still feel it’s a fair question. That question is “Why choose Damascus steel?” Indeed, why choose it at all?

For me there is only one answer that makes any sense at all and that is simply Beauty. When wood workers and cabinet makers choose the woods they work with, they choose woods that have a certain beauty of grain that they can work with and arrange to deliver a strong impact to the visual and sometimes tactile senses.

As bladesmiths and knifemakers we are doing the same thing. There is an essential difference however, woodworkers utilize what has been given by nature, we on the other hand have the ability to shape and mold steel patterns to our creative will, turning the very steel itself into an expressive medium that can stand on it’s own aesthetic merits.

When handled skillfully, steel can seem to almost take on a life of it’s own. That ”life” I speak of is nothing less than the creative spirit of the infinite made manifest. Every blow to the steel will show as a record captured in time. Every twist, every turn of the metal reflects the creative powers of the Smith. It is not uncommon to get completely lost in the beauty of a pattern welded blade.

Now I realize that this type of commentary represents somewhat of a departure from my usual informational format, but I feel that it is important to reflect on these questions from time to time as they do come up in the minds of many. It also keeps we who make this steel honest. By this I mean as artists and craftsmen we have the luxury of leading highly reflective lives and we certainly ought to know why we do what we do. Speaking just for myself, being part of the creative process is one of the greatest privileges I know of and I do not ever take it lightly or for granted.

For all the reasons I’ve just mentioned, I choose Damascus.

 

Subscribe to "Bladesmith Tips Weekly"
Bladesmithing Methods and Techniques
First Name*
Email*
Note: We value your privacy and will never share your email address or information with any third party.

 

 

 

 

Home | Newsletters | Advanced Damascus Patterning | About Us | Order