If It Pings...

If a Damascus knife pings when you quench it, is it possible to cut it up and re-use the steel? Or is it just useless scrap at that point?

First thing is where is the break? and can you shape a smaller knife out of it. How did you ping it? you didn't try and water quench oil hardening steels by any chance?
You can always incorporate broken pieces/offcuts in something new, but of course once a blade is forged down/ground thin, theres not allot to work with..... but you could restock it with other pieces or in a powder can for something random. Usually a case of toss it in the f"""! bucket and start again.

I don't actually have this situation yet.

In fact I've never made a knife. But I'm becoming very interested in beginning to do so, and having seen a couple of failed Damascus blades a friend made that pinged on the quench, I was just curious if one can salvage anything in that situation.

I'm guessing that if you've created a sanmai that re-folding a failed knife into a new damascus billet might not be so great because you'd have the single piece of harder steel in the mix now? Or could you just anneal it and it'd all soften enough to become part of some new cladding? (Yup, I'm aware that I'm enough of a total newb that this may be a dumb question, but I've never let that stop me.)

When San mai fails it goes straight to thrash , monosteel and Damascus are easier to salvage

Was afraid you'd say that. Thanks though.

I have an f"""! bucket and I don't even make knives...

daveb said:

I have an f"""! bucket and I don't even make knives...

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I'll be sure to set one up as I acquire tools to start... :dazed:

Your better off starting with some known materials, some good old 1095 and trying to make a knife out of it. When you get good at that buy a well sourced damascus blank and try that. If your friends broken bits are free maybe try and shape some small cutters from the good bits but I would be asking myself why his blades are failing on HT. Certainly oil hardening damascus is unlikely to fail by cracking on heat treatment unless it has inclusions, cold shuts or fissures from poor forging.

These were his first attempts at Damascus when he started out. He indicated he'd not properly cleaned the scale between layers and that they were some of his first hard lessons in why that was important.

I appreciate (and will be following) the advice to start out basic with something like 1095. I just know that I'll be wanting to make and use my own damascus, so that'll be one of the goals to work toward.

I also know that I'm much more interested in forging than in stock removal. Not saying I'd never make a knife with just removal, but the process of forging is a big part of the appeal to me.

:eyebrow:

Doh! Melt it all down and make something cool? (Perhaps a sculpture of an annoyed bladesmith?) :eyebrow:

chefcomesback said:

When San mai fails it goes straight to thrash , monosteel and Damascus are easier to salvage

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When you say "damascus" I assume you mean integral damascus rather than damascus cladding?

Nemo said:

When you say "damascus" I assume you mean integral damascus rather than damascus cladding?

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Correct... though integral isn't quite the right word. Think like mono-steel but except its a piece of damascus. San mai can be maybe with any layering... aka you syousin you showed in the new knife thread is a san mai blade. Just with damascus cladding...

A damascus blade is one where the blade is made out of a single piece of damascus, think a lot of HHH's work or Del Ealy's work. Note i have also seen san mai done with damascus core clad with steel.