Can Damascus Steel Cut?

Here's a question that keeps coming up again and again like a bad penny: Can Damascus steel cut, or is it just for looks?

While it may be true that there was a time when bladesmiths who forged this material had hit or miss performance standards for their steel,many of today's Damascus smiths have evolved into what can only be called "Performance Junkies". They are driven to discover what will allow pattern welded steel to perform at the high levels demanded by today's consumer.

Yes, I'm one of those "junkies". I want the steel I make to perform at even higher than expected levels. To even begin working toward the Holy Grail of melding top performance with exceptional beauty, we must first recognize fully the factors that control the various characteristics of steel that give it enhanced capabilities.

Personally, I look for three things in a high performance steel, Toughness, strength and that all important edge-holding ability. To begin with, the pattern welded material you make will only be as good as the steel that went into it in the first place. That is why I'm insistent upon using steels of known quality and analysis whenever possible. As far as I can tell, the main factors determining the performance of pattern welded steel are as follows;

1. Understanding what things the various alloying elements in the steels will suppress or enhance.

2. Using solid forging technique to enhance the grain structure of the steel. As a subtitle to this point, let's include pattern selection.

3. And finally as an extension of the previous point, but of prime importance, thermal cycling and heat treatments.

Now this is actually a huge topic, so practically speaking there is no way to discuss this all in one installment. Let's just cover the first one in this letter and the rest in succeeding newsletters.
I'm going to talk about some of the more common alloying elements usually found in some of the steels Damascus smiths work with.

1. Carbon. This is the element that is of prime importance to the essential qualities of steel, hardness, toughness and strength. as a general rule we can say that the higher the carbon content, the greater the potential hardness of the steel. Now please understand that this occurs only within strict limits. Add carbon in excess of 2% and the steel will actually become weaker, as it will be unable to form carbides with all of the available carbon and force the rest into grain boundaries to form graphite inclusions which weaken the overall structure. However, in amounts between .50% and 1.5% it is extremely useful. It is THE element that makes steel, steel.

2. Silicon. Trace amounts of this element control ductility, an important working quality.

3. Vanadium. This assists in controlling the grain size of the steel, helping to keep it small for maximum strength and edge holding.

4. Chromium. Small amounts of this element will assist in carbide formation. Large amounts (in excess of 12%) will render the steel extremely corrosion resistant, but will require more sophisticated heat treatment procedures.

5. Nickel. in amounts under 1%, it gives steel much greater toughness, and enhances edge holding
There are more to be sure, but these are the ones we work with mostly when dealing with simpler carbon steels that are used for most pattern welding applications. I believe that if you have a good working understanding of how these alloying elements work in the steels you use you will be well on your way to making pattern welded steel with superior performance.

Oh, and remember [First name], please remember to visit our website often - there are going to be tremendous updates in the coming weeks - I'm sure you're going to love the information presented there... stay tuned.