Making my own Damascus

Well it was only a matter of time until I did so.

I visited my buddy Jerry's shop two weeks ago on a Sat & was so excited that the following Sunday I forged this blade out of the Damascus we made.

I started out with 24-laters of 1084 and 15N20. Forge-welded-it & drew it out, cut it in 5-pieces and forge welded it again, drew it our and twisted it.
So it is a 120-layer-twist. Pretty cool!

Sorry I do not have more images, but my batteries in my camera died.....Bummer!
 
But here are the shots of the process I did have along with a shot of Jerry working up his first piece of Cable Damascus, which came out pretty sweet.

Thanks for taking a look. I am excited about this one & heat treated it a few days ago & am now waiting for the epoxy to cure so I can finish the handles, which will be pretty neat I hope
Shooting for a quilted handle with lots of decorative pins, plus there are 12 structural-pins going through the handle...so needless to say the African Blackwood Handles will not be coming off this knife!

More images to follow soon.

First-off is the initial welded billet & forge weld.

The freshly forged blade. I was shooting for a certain style Bowie knife & when the preform required a wharncliff-style shape & I thought about it.....
...I figured this would look pretty cool too with a top swedge...so I let it ride rather than to go on to create the traditional Bowie-style Clip.
Kind-Of something different for me all around....reminds me o a Rifleman's Knife!
OAL is 14.5 with a 9"-blade

   A Shot of Jerry working on the cable damascus he created that same day.
        A few more shots of the knife in process just before & after heat treatment with a light etch & working up the handle details.

 

I am really loving how this one is coming along.

Keep checking back to see how it looks.

-DON:)