I love the pattern of the different damascus but until I get a press or power hammer it is beyond my making.  However some nice patterns can come right from the forge...1080 steel capers.  Doc

 

Middle one,looks real good.bowdoc

they all look good to me!!!

Hey Doc,
I think the pattern on all of those look pretty cool. Is a pattern like that prone to rust easier?  Do you use a gun blue for a finish or just lightly polish them?

AMAZED AGAIN!<><

Very NICE! If the top one is up for adoption, I know of someone that will give it a good home and bloody the blade every once in a while.

Nice blades Jeff! I like playing with different etchants myself, to acheive interesting results......

 

 

Rob, We got a lot to discuss at the Sweat  :D

All of those look great!  What etchants are you using?
Dan

What I wouldn't give to just be a little trickle at that Sweat!! Just to get an earfull and an eyefull. Doc you and Rob need to record those conversations      

The pattern is quite simple and no etching.  I take my blade down to a finish polish, then keep normalizing it til I like the outer crust.  When you quench it all that blows off and leaves the pattern.  If you don't like it just keep finishing the blade to a more polished look. It just has a look of a real old blade.  Only problem is cause the blade is near or at finish ie. thin, you can warp it in the quench.  Just takes doing a few to find that point...Doc

Thanks, Doc.
Dan

Very cool

They sure look neat, Doc and Rob. Don't think I'll get to forging. So many fun things to do - so little time -   :D

What does "normalizing" mean?

As the steel grain structure is broken down & beaten out of alignment during forging & grinding many makers normalize their blades prior to continuing work on them.
Normalizing is heating of the steel to a dull red & allowing it to air cool. Many makers do this several times before the hardening/ tempering process to allow the grain structure in the steel to re align itself. Many also align the blade with magnetic north for/during the cooling process.
It's said to help pull the grain structure into alignment.

Larry

Lar,  No wonder my knife seem to stick in my sheath...it must have been pointin' South     Thanks for the response on normalizing...Doc