Damascus steel knife blanks

[BrendanF]

Avoid using used motor oil to quench. It produces toxic smoke, and offers no advantage over warmed high smoke point vegetable oils. Buy a bottle of canola and warm to 50-60 degrees C.

 

[kunetao]

This is my shop knife about 10 years old 1095 and razor sharp

 

[lenjee]

1095 and 15n20 make some great knives!

If you have bought from this guy before and like the stuff they sell then go for it.

That being said, imho, production knives and blanks are more often than not subpar in the quality department. With knives, and most things, you really do get what you pay for. It truly all depends on who it came from and what they did to it. I've come across absolute crap knives of all sorts of steel.

I would just shoot an email and ask about the hardness and if there's info available on the treatments done to the steel. (the seller not being sure is a bad sign obv)

I can say that texas knife makers sells a lot of blanks. My buddy has shown me some he's put a handle on and he's never had issues with the quality to my knowledge about Damascus Authentic Knives. I've only used them for handle supplies.
Either way I hope this helped and I'm sure you'll have some real fun with a project like this

I have been collecting for a long time and can remember back when damascus was considered a magical steel. That was long before the flood of cheap Pakistani and India made stuff associated the steel type with junk in most peoples minds. There is no denying that it is an attractive blade treatment, which when done right can result in good blades. But, I find it harder to say that it is any better than forging a knife from a good quality homogenous blade stock. we haven't visited this topic in some time. Let us know how you feel about Damascus steel.

 

[HighKick]

I have been collecting for a long time and can remember back when damascus was considered a magical steel. That was long before the flood of cheap Pakistani and India made stuff associated the steel type with junk in most peoples minds. There is no denying that it is an attractive blade treatment, which when done right can result in good blades. But, I find it harder to say that it is any better than forging a knife from a good quality homogenous blade stock. we haven't visited this topic in some time. Let us know how you feel about Damascus steel.

I have read about Damascus steel. It sounds like a very labor-intensive blacksmith process to get the long-lasting edge. Historically, I wonder if it had something to do with the natural raw materials found in south India of the time.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I have read about Damascus steel. It sounds like a very labor-intensive blacksmith process to get the long-lasting edge. Historically, I wonder if it had something to do with the natural raw materials found in south India of the time.

It's not really all that much more labor intensive than forging any other blade.
The reason pattern welded blades are not 'the bestest most godly' any more is that other, newer, better knife steels have been developed.
But they're still the best looking.