|
HOME DL 1 GUARDIAN ALLROUNDER BEAVER & SHADOW TALISMAN SPECIALS - RWL34 & DAMASTEEL KNIVES FOR SALE WS DARTMOOR KNIFE OPINELS AND FIRESTEEL ARTICLES CONTACT FEEDBACK ABOUT ME
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
To see photos of various type of knives I made to date click on respective link below... LARGE KNIVES SMALL KNIVES BUSHCRAFT KNIVES KNIFE SETS
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Damascus is Damascus and it's all very nice - But unfortunately, quality is so variable that it's all too easy for the inexperienced to assume that 'Good Looks' must equate to good quality. Unless one is talking about Damasteel or similar metallurgic compositions, that can achieve Rockwell hardness of 60 - 61 easily enough, one has to be wary when some makers/sellers claim that their Carbon based Damascus knives are above 56Rc. Even that might not be true as it all depends where the testing pin hits. 54Rc is achievable, at which hardness one can attain a good keen edge that will serve for general use. How long that edge is held depends on use. Generally speaking though, edge retention is arguably less than say a single tool steel, such as 01 or D2 steels. By way of compensation, however, Damascus has the edge when it comes to stunning looks - it never fails to impress...
So Damascus steel is nice, which it really is. Damascus patterned steel is usually made up from two types of steels according to what the maker favours. Some is so poor that it's not even fit to make a Butter knife with! There's no telling visually what you're getting unless you deal with a reputable maker who backs what he offers with a quality guarantee and isn't shy at stating the true composition and what to expect from a knife made from a particular Damascus blend and achievable hardness. Anything less and you could be in for a huge disappointment and a total waste of your hard earned money!!!
Is Damascus patterned Carbon based steel better than other carbon steels used in knife making? In actual use a good quality properly heat treated Damascus knife is no better or worse than most carbon steel used for knife making in terms of attaining a keen edge. It's certainly not as tough though and therefore edge retention is not held as long as for tool steels. For all intents and purposes though, a good Damascus knife is to be used, maintained and looked after as for any carbon steel based knife.
Which is the most suitable grind on a Damascus knife? Your choice really. But, it's worth noting that when it comes to Damascus patterned knives, there might be a need to compromise slightly according to your intended regular use. For example, if you want a more usable cutting edge, then I can only recommend a secondary bevel, which will also serve to retain almost all of the blade's patterning except for the very edge.
However, if you are Scandi grind enthusiast, then the full flat Scandi grind is for you. That said, even if the knife comes as a fully patterned blade to include the scandi grind, the patterning will eventually start to fade once you start sharpening it and over time, the patterning will disappear eventually and you will end up with a nice mirror finish Scandi grind. this might not appeal to everybody and the only remedy is to have the grind re-etched. As Acids are very dangerous to work with, I'm not going to give details as how it's done. Any reputable knife maker will be able to re-etch your blade if you dislike a mirror finish to the grind.
While I'm
happy to provide you with such information as above, I always advise that
further research ought to be undertaken before committing oneself...
|
Example Damascus blades showing a patterned grind (top) and a mirror finished grind (bottom). You can see further examples on the finished knives.
I've been meaning to offer the Talisman in Damascus steel for some time, but finding a reliable quality source of billets has not been easy over the years. There are various combinations of steel that go into making Damascus patterned steel, but my favourite composition has been 1095 Carbon steel and 15N20 Nickel steel. That's not to say that all other combinations are useless! Hardness averages at around 56-58Rc depending where the 'Test Pin' hits! But let me be clear, I would always assume that 54 to 56Rc is a fair average for good Damascus.
One ought not to assume that a lower steel hardness rating does not provide for a very sharp edge, as good as or even better than some other steels. However, sharpening and maintenance of the blade is likely to be more frequent, depending on what use the knife is put to.
The overall dimensions are similar to the Talisman Mk3, including the thickness of the steel at 4mm. Looking after a Damascus steel knife is no different than if you had a high Carbon steel bladed knife. Once finished with, just clean and dry and apply a bit of oil to the blade. That said, one may need to hone/sharpen the knife more frequently depending on what use the knife is put to. It has to be said though, the stunning good looks of Damascus steel makes for the little extra effort in maintaining such a handsome piece of work...
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE 'TWIST' DAMASCUS PATTERN IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND THUS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY...
THE NEW DISTINCTIVE PATTERN OF MY DAMASCUS BLADES IS CALLED 'FLAME'. THE COMPOSITION IS ONCE AGAIN 1095/15N20 STEELS AND IN TERMS OF MAINTENANCE IS THE SAME AS FOR ALL CARBON BASED DAMASCUS STEEL. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This the new Flame pattern Damascus
The profile is less pronounced than the Mk 4 Talisman |
The pattern is very distinctive and pronounced.
Flame pattern 4mm thick Damascus steel. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Grind can be had patterned or mirror finish. Grind can be Scandi or with a Secondary bevel.
|
Steel composition is 1095 and 15N20 steels. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Martyn Watkins Buffalo Horn and Mistral Damascus Talisman
The handle composition is two thirds Buffalo Horn and one third Mistral, a material used for Kitchen worktops, not too dissimilar to Corian., which Martyn sent me a piece of. It turned out rather nice and all came together well. Anyway, this is his feedback:
Hi Paul, Sorry I didn't get the chance to mail you yesterday. The knife turned up fine and Its perfect. Just what I was hoping for and I'm pleased some white came through the black on the Buffalo horn. I've posted some pictures on British blades but as I'm a new poster my thread had to be moderated first. I'm sure you are a member so have a look there. All the best and thanks for sorting this for me so quickly. Martyn.
|
Joe Mills Ivory Paper Micarta Handled Damascus Talisman
Hi Paul. Just a quick note to let you know that I received the knife on Friday. To say that it is a masterpiece is an understatement. It’s better than I thought it would be, and the work on the sheath is absolutely stunning. My only regret is that I promised it to my son who is obviously delighted with it! I’ll have to get you to make another one in the near future. Once again, many thanks for making me such a superb knife. Kind regards Joe
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
USA DAMASCUS SCANDI
Last of the USA Damascus Scandi blade blanks made up for Richard as a gift to his father.
Paul, I just received the knife and it the best knife I've ever seen and held. It is stunning and the sheath is a thing of beauty. I'm tempted not to give it to my father. Ha ha. It seems too nice to part with, but he will love it. Thanks again Paul, Rich |
The above two knives now belong to Tom F.
These blades are very well patterned, so there's no doubting that they're made from Damascus steel. For those who never owned a Damascus knife, the care and maintenance of carbon steel based Damascus knives is as for any other carbon steel based knife - it's as simple as that.
We all like to show off our knives to some degree don't we?! Well, decent quality Damascus never ever disappoints as it's really beautiful stuff no matter the pattern. A quality Damascus knife will take and keep a good keen edge and is no more difficult to sharpen or maintain than any other Carbon steel based knife.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
