Practicality of Damascus?

[Jet19912]

Is there any purpose to Damascus steel, or is it just to look pretty?

 

[Bradsknives]

Compared to the current steels that are being used today, damascus blades have no advantage in performance, edge retention....etc. They are strictly a cosmetic value. Back when damascus was first starting to be used (3rd to 4th Century A.D.), it had great advantages in strength, hardness, and flexibility over the steels (mostly wrought iron) of that time.

 

[Dtrap]

Damascus can be made from many many different variations of steel. Some of it has great performance and some not so much. There is plenty out there that will hold its own and has outstanding performance abilities. As with all steels it has a lot to do with the heat treat and how the Damascus was made. I prefer Damascus made in small batches by people who have been making it for years and know exactly how to treat it for its best characteristics. People like Chad Nicolas, Devon Thomas, and Mike Noris just to name a few. I don't like the mass produced stuff much at all.

 

[Jet19912]

I was more curious on using it in the kitchen rather than for survival. I'm just a bit curious if it would mess with the patterns or clarity of the patterns if sharpened or used regularly.

 

[Dtrap]

If you go with a stainless Damascus then it will hold up fine and not mess up the patterns at all. I carry a stainless Damascus folder daily and have for a few years. Use it for cutting food and all kinds of other stuff with no signs of wear at all.

 

[Jet19912]

Good deal thanks for the info hopefully the one I'm looking at will hold up well

 

[Gamez235]

It's as good as the base materials used, quality of the weld, and the heat treat applied. Whether it is 1095/15N20, 5160/L6 or 1084/15N20 etc, you can expect it to perform as any other knife of those materials.. The aesthetics of it are the main draw, as the maker of it, is able to produce the patterns in it from manipulating stacks of metals in various ways. Having spent several days in jason knight's shop watching him explain and do it, it is bonkers and a lot of work.

 

[K9stang]

I've not used it in the kitchen. However, i carried a parker damascus pocket knife for about 15 years. It was a daily carry. Held up very well. I finally moved on to pocket clips to free up space in my pocket.

 

[Jet19912]

To be specific this is the knife I was looking at
Beautiful Damascus Steel Chef Kitchen Knife : Fixed Blade Knives at GunBroker.com

 

[grunt soldier]

It looks like a nice knife but the seller doesn't state what materials the damascus is and his hardness is listed between 55-60. that would make me nervous. it should be known. should say heat treated to 59 or a specific number imo. With a kitchen knife 58 is about the lowest I would accept unless you want to sharpen a lot. It's has a nice pattern in the damascus. almost looks like raindrop at the top but then changes on the bottom.

I personally would need more info on that knife. who the maker is. what's the actual steels used. actual hardness. what kind of warranty they offer. lots of info is left out of that add imo but the price is appealing.

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Damascus really deserves three subcategories: pattern welded, laminated and wootz. Pattern welded steel is what most people know as damascus because of its popularity in knife art. It doesn't have the superior performace over monosteels anymore for the same reasons Brad mentioned above. Laminated steel is a hard steel core surrounded by a softer steel and has some superior qualities in tools that, imho, are at the top of their game in Norwegian knives and Swedish axes. A softer coating supporting a harder core is just a universal principle that works. Wootz I honestly can't comment on. I have one Wootz blade and it means to much too me to put through hard use. When you read about the properties of wootz, basically microcrystals of carbide suspended in softer steel, you think about carbide tipped saws and drill bits - it's a principle that you know works. I just don't know if enough good examples of it are out there to really test it.

 

[rhino]

Damascus really deserves three subcategories: pattern welded, laminated and wootz. Pattern welded steel is what most people know as damascus because of its popularity in knife art. It doesn't have the superior performace over monosteels anymore for the same reasons Brad mentioned above. Laminated steel is a hard steel core surrounded by a softer steel and has some superior qualities in tools that, imho, are at the top of their game in Norwegian knives and Swedish axes. A softer coating supporting a harder core is just a universal principle that works. Wootz I honestly can't comment on. I have one Wootz blade and it means to much too me to put through hard use. When you read about the properties of wootz, basically microcrystals of carbide suspended in softer steel, you think about carbide tipped saws and drill bits - it's a principle that you know works. I just don't know if enough good examples of it are out there to really test it.

Wootz is rare ... few people can make it. Most of the legends associated with "damascus" are probably attributable to wootz.