Stainless Steel RANDOM Pattern Damascus Billet, 58 HRC, 220 x 30 x 3 mm

Stainless Steel Damascus Billet, Hardened and Tempered,

3 x 30 x 220 mm (RANDOM PATTERN)

Damascus or "forge welded" steel consists of different types of steel heated to welding temperatures and mashed together until they form one steel. The billet is then drawn out, cut or folded. The process is repeated again and again, every time doubling the number of layers.

To get a consistent, strong edge these pieces consist of softer stainless layers over a hard single steel centre edge piece. Basically forge welding the damascus to a Chinese equivalent of VG10. The billet is ready to grind into a blade and is 3 mm x 30 mm x 220 mm in size.

The Damascus billet is heat treated completely, hardened and tempered to 58 HRC. This is a good hardness for outdoor knives as well as general duty kitchen knives.

There are several sizes and pattern versions,  this is the raindrop  pattern version.

Note this is hardened steel and will be very difficult to work with hand tools.

• Grind the billet to your blade design
• Grind in bevels
• Hand sand the blade
• Etch in ferric chloride* or etchant solution from an electronics store
• Wash thoroughly with water to neutralise the acid

NOTE: Working with acids can be dangerous. Seek professional advice before undertaking any work that can involve risk of injury.

 *Most of these etch just fine in ferric chloride, just like carbon steel damascus. Every now and then a bar is resisting the ferric and you need to go to something stronger, like warm hydrochloric acid before the pattern appear. Coffee seems to do nothing to these bars, they are too corrosion resistant for the weaker coffee etch to do much.