Which Damascus is better? Damascus steel knives: pros and cons, characteristics, reviews

There is nothing fundamentally new in this short note that would not be well known to those interested in this issue. But mine personal experience communication shows that the overwhelming majority of people who have not yet plunged into this exciting world have little idea what they are talking about when the conversation turns to damask or damask steel. This page is intended for them. For clarity, I tried to illustrate it with examples.

Naturally, the information presented here is not only brief, but simply, as they say, “in a nutshell.” I only hope that it will help to better understand the descriptions of the knives given on the site, and will serve as a starting point for studying really serious articles, links to which are given at the bottom of the page.

Bulat or Damascus?

In principle, any patterned blade (of course, we are not talking about a pattern applied to homogeneous steel) can be called both damask and damask. And it won't be a big mistake. Previously, these concepts were not strictly distinguished. Any pattern was called Damascus, and any blade made of inhomogeneous steel was called damask. Historically, outstanding qualities were attributed to damask blades, but this is rather a semantic load of the term that does not characterize the appearance or technology of obtaining the product. Therefore, we will not consider it now. According to the production technology, damask steel It has long been customary to divide into “cast” and “welded” or “welded”. Based on this, when describing a specific product, it is more correct to say " cast damask steel" or " with boiled damask steel", then there will be no confusion in concepts.

Cast damask steel

Cast damask steel is produced by melting the initial components in a crucible in a forge. As a result of the slow cooling of the ingot, a heterogeneous structure is formed in it, which subsequently gives a pattern on the blade.

This is exactly what the legendary Indian damask steel was like. But what about the production secret that was lost a long time ago? Indeed, even now the exact technology used in ancient India is unknown. It was hidden so carefully that by the 17th and 18th centuries the secret was lost. This is due to a decrease in demand for damask steel caused by the start of production of high-quality and inexpensive bladed weapons from industrial steel, which led first to a reduction in the smelting of damask steel in India, and then to its complete cessation.

Numerous attempts by researchers to uncover the secret of damask steel were unsuccessful. However, at the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian metallurgist Pavel Petrovich Anosov developed a technology with which he was able to obtain steel that matched the pattern and quality the best varieties Indian damask steel. It is on the basis of this technology that damask steel is poured now. The main mistake of researchers before Anosov was that they tried to obtain a pattern by adding additives to the chemical composition of the alloy. And only Anosov managed to prove in the course of experiments that damask steel differs from ordinary steel not in its chemical composition, but in its physical structure.

According to more or less established terminology, in Russia today the word “damask steel” is usually understood as cast damask steel. I stick to this option on my site.

Types of damask steel (by chemical composition)

Despite the fact that the basis for understanding the essence of damask steel is its physical structure, it, like any steel, can contain additional elements in addition to iron and carbon. If damask steel is smelted on the basis of carbon steel with the addition of cast iron, and the composition additionally includes only natural impurities in small quantities, then such damask steel is usually called "carbonaceous". Like all carbon steels, it is susceptible to rust. Modern metallurgy, which has a huge range of alloy steels, has pushed craftsmen to create "doped" And "stainless" Damask steel They are smelted from alloy steels and can be corrosion-resistant.

Wootz

In the old days, after smelting, a damask ingot was either forged on site or sold as an ingot, called a “wutz”. Caravans with them went far beyond India. These ingots had the shape of a small loaf of bread. Thus, the word “Wootz” refers specifically to an ancient ingot made in India.

IN English word " wootz"serves both as a definition of the ingot itself and damask steel as a whole. Modern damask steel is also called “wootz.” To designate a damask blade, the phrases “Wootz Blade” or “Wootz Damascus Blade” are used.

Welded damask steel (damascus)

Welded damask steel, as the name suggests, is produced by forge welding. To do this, a package of steels with different carbon contents is assembled, which is welded together, then folded in some way (for example, in half) and forged again. And so the number of times necessary in each specific case. At the same time, the number of layers grows exponentially. So, if the initial package had 8 layers, then after the first welding there are 16, after the second 32, after the seventh 1024, etc.

According to the established terminology today, welded damask steel is more often called damascus. I stick to this option on my site.

The English "damascus" corresponds to the Russian "damascus" in the meaning of "welded damask steel".

Types of Damascus

Based on the chemical composition, similar to damask steel, Damascus is divided into carbon and stainless steel. Due to the difficulty of welding alloy steels, carbon Damascus is most widely used. All types of Damascus presented below are illustrated specifically with carbon Damascus.

Types of Damascus

The types of Damascus listed above are the most common. They differ in forging methods, which results in different patterns on the blade. The master can combine different methods and obtain completely unusual and original patterns. Only a high-level specialist will be able to unravel the secrets of another master. And we will just admire this bewitching and alluring pattern on the blade.

If you are interested in the topic of patterned blades, you can find extensive material on damask steel and damask at the following links:

– section “Articles” of the website of master I. Kulikov;

– section “Articles” of the Arkhangelsk blacksmiths website;

– section “Articles” of the website of master I. Pampukha;

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There are many opinions about Damascus steel. Someone claims that her recipe is lost. And when you say that it’s Damascus steel, they look at you with a smile and leave. Others haven’t heard much about it at all, and ask ridiculous questions: “What is this drawn with?” or “Why isn’t the blade polished?”

Of course, in fairness, it should be noted that from year to year there are fewer and fewer ignorant people (especially in the city of Moscow). Once a person uses a knife made of high-quality Damascus once, he will never purchase a knife made of any other steel.

In terms of cutting properties, high-quality Damascus steel is several times superior to other grades of steel (be it 65X13, 440C, 95X18). Its only drawback is that it rusts. Therefore, she needs constant care. I worked with a knife - wiped it dry, greased it with neutral oil or grease and put it away. If rusty spots suddenly appear on the steel, they need to be removed with very fine sandpaper and oil, or better yet, kerosene. In principle, caring for such a knife is no more than caring for a gun with non-chrome-plated bores. All the troubles are compensated by excellent cutting properties (which cannot be compared with any stainless steel: both domestic and imported). Let’s look at the secret of the cutting properties of Damascus steel. Firstly, in manufacturing technology. Damascus is made as follows. It is obtained as a result of a long technological process, performed only by hand. The basis is taken from several types of steel (both hard and soft), which are assembled in a certain sequence to form a package (We do not name steel grades, because the secret of good Damascus steel lies precisely in the correct selection and proportions of various metals). Required condition– that more hard steels are used than soft ones. The steel package is placed in the forge and heated to forging temperature. After this, special additives are applied to prevent the formation of oxides that prevent plates of different types from welding together. Next, the package is punched several times with a hammer and sent to the forge to be warmed up for welding. As soon as the package is warmed up, it settles under the hammer, then it is sent back to the forge and warmed up for subsequent pulling. When the plate is welded and shaped to size, it is heated again and chopped into the required number of plates, which are cleaned of oxide and assembled into a package. The whole process is repeated all over again. The number of repetitions of the process is proportional to the quality of the product, respectively the order. After the welding process, and there can be from three to ten, the plate is unforged to the required blade size. Then the steel is normalized and the workpiece goes into further work. Steel obtained in this way is characterized by increased strength, excellent cutting properties and beauty. Damascus Russian Bulat LLC has 400 layers of metal or more. As a result of the process, a unique pattern appears, as unique as a fingerprint.

Sometimes at exhibitions you hear that a purchased Damascus steel knife quickly became dull. The answer is simple. Either a person bought “Damascus” (i.e., stainless steel 65X13, 95X18 etched in a special way), or he purchased Damascus welded from soft metals. It is much easier and faster to weld such metal. Visually distinguishing it from high-quality Damascus is almost impossible. Soft damascus was previously used for making guns, because... For these purposes, toughness was required and the cutting properties of the metal were not needed. A knife made of soft Damascus (no matter how beautiful its design may be!) cuts worse than any knife made of stainless steel. When trying to harden such a knife, no matter how hard you try, it is often no harder than 48 units. H.R.C. A knife from the Russian Bulat company has a hardness of at least 60 units. HRC (usually 62-64 HRC units). Some believe that a knife at 64 units. HRC is made brittle.

This is fairly applicable to homogeneous steels (U10, 95X18), but does not apply in any way to correctly forged Damascus. This, of course, does not mean that a knife with a hardness of 64 units. HRC can be bent into a ring! But with limited contact with bones (when cutting an animal), as well as with small chopping blows, this combination of hardness and elasticity is quite sufficient. A good knife steel should not only be hard, but also elastic. Let’s answer the question: “How does a knife become dull?” This happens in two ways. If you look at the cutting edge of a dull knife under a microscope, you can consider two situations:

The cutting edge is bent. (This indicates that the steel is too soft);

The cutting edge has broken off. (This indicates that the steel is too hard.)

While hunting I had to observe the work of a knife made of 95X18 steel. The owner assured that he bought the knife for decent money from one of the famous craftsmen (During the sale, the knife was praised: hardness 70 HRC units, steel taken from a fragment spaceship, laser sharpening, etc.). But when the hunt has come to an end, the elk is captured, the owner of the “wonderful knife” approaches the huntsman and offers to work with the knife. After about five minutes, the huntsman politely returns the knife and advises us to buy something better (they say, such a knife is only suitable for cutting lard and sausage!). The owner is offended and tries to butcher the animal himself.

He is surprised to notice that the knife slides and does not cut... And the reason is the following. The knife was truly hardened to extreme hardness. Steel 95X18 is not particularly flexible anyway, but when hardened to more than 60 units. HRC generally loses all elasticity. In this case, when starting work, the cutting edge simply broke off. Moreover, this is not noticeable visually. When I try to sharpen the knife again, everything repeats. Often the cutting edge breaks off during the sharpening process, so a paradox arises: you sharpen the blade, the blade wears off, but the knife is still dull!

The situation is different with mild steel. For example, 40X13. When such a knife becomes dull, the cutting edge bends. It is possible to cut with such a knife if you keep a stone with you for editing - you work a little, shuffle on the stone, work again, shuffle again. This is undoubtedly better than the first case!

The optimal grade of stainless steel is 65X13. Although it is far from quality Damascus. This grade of steel is often called medical steel. For people raised in the Soviet Union, the terms “medical”, “military”, “space” have a magical effect. 65X13 is a good steel for knives. But the term “medical” is difficult to apply to it. Firstly, scalpels from steel 65X13 began to be manufactured only in the late 80s, and before that carbon steels U8, U10 coated with chromium were used.

Secondly, the tasks of a surgeon, who makes very minor incisions during the operation, and a hunter, butchering an elk or a bear, are completely different. In addition, a medical scalpel is not reused during operations (scalpels with disposable removable blades soon appeared). Therefore, the term “medical” steel does not obligate anyone to anything. Although we have been using this steel for inexpensive models for a long time.

Let's return to Damascus steel knives. These knives, manufactured by the Russian Bulat company, were tested by hunters in various parts of the country. In 99% - given positive assessment knife work. 1% are people who use a knife for other purposes. (For example, there was a gentleman who tried to cut a tractor valve with a knife, another, heavily drunk, threw a knife at a tree, etc.). According to reviews from various hunters, two moose in a row were skinned and butchered with a knife without additional sharpening; five small boars; large cleaver; several beavers. Maslennikov V.S. I personally tried to remove the skin of two moose with a knife from one sharpening point (the knife continued to cut after that!). If you look under magnification at the cutting edge of a Damascus knife after cutting an elk, you will see a micro-saw. It happened due to the fact that the soft steels were slightly crumpled, while the hard ones remained sharp due to the additional viscosity acquired during the forging process. Therefore, when we look at the cutting edge of a knife after prolonged work, the blade shines in places and it seems that the knife has become dull, but when we start cutting, it turns out that the knife cuts no worse than a new one! Even when a Damascus knife becomes completely dull, it is enough to carefully sharpen it with a sharpening stone to restore its cutting properties. This is where the effect of straightening the soft parts of the cutting edge comes into play. After long work, in the winter hut or at a hunting base, the knife needs to be wiped, the cutting edge should be adjusted on a good stone, lubricated with oil and put in a case.

The question that interests many is “Which is better: damascus or damask steel?” What is damascus and what is damask steel? Steel prepared from plates through a forge welding process is commonly called “Damascus.” Steel, melted in a crucible and cooled in a special way, is usually called “damask steel.” There is also an intermediate technology where cast plates are mixed with other steels through forge welding. From a consumer point of view, good damask and good damask steel are one and the same. The same hardness, the same micro-saw effect, also easy to sharpen... Bad damascus and bad damask steel are identical: neither one nor the other will cut! To avoid buying a bad knife, you need to purchase a knife from a reputable company with a quality guarantee.

Now there are many different individual entrepreneurs and new companies that have recently been producing knives. Previously, the organizers of these companies were engaged in everything except metalworking; and have absolutely no understanding of metals. They don’t have the necessary production base, they don’t make blades, but buy them wherever it’s cheaper…. When buying a knife from such companies, it is difficult to hope that it will serve for a long time (although there are no rules without exceptions). Although the prices of many individual entrepreneurs for Damascus knives are quite low (from 900 rubles to 1500 rubles). When purchasing a knife, you should remember that if you follow the technological process, a Damascus steel knife will cost from 2000 rubles. up to 3500 rub. Tempted by cheaper knives, you risk remembering the proverb: “The miser pays twice!” Cast damask steel is somewhat more expensive to manufacture than damascus. Question: “Why does one Damascus knife from the same company cost 3,000 rubles, and another $300?” Expensive knives use end-damascus. What is this, “end Damascus blade”?

Take two, three or four plates of damascus with different patterns, layers and properties. They are welded together along the height of the blade and follow the contour of the cutting edge. What does this give?

This adds beauty to the product (due to beautifully selected three or four patterns);

Allows you to place very hard Damascus on the cutting edge with a large number hard metal, soft damascus is used on the butt of the blade (the same one from which gun barrels were made). Thanks to the combination of these damasks, the strength of the knife increases. The cutting properties of such a blade (albeit not much) increase.

The main effect of end damask is beauty and unique handiwork. The best specialist in end-damascus in Russia is Mr. Arkhangelsky and his daughter Maria. Their prices, of course, are much higher. One more question has to be answered: “How many layers does your damask contain?” We determined for ourselves the optimal price-quality ratio - 400 layers. Even a specialist cannot visually determine the number of layers. As a rule, blacksmiths know how many layers they have forged. A record is kept for each batch of Damascus…. You hear from buyers at the exhibition: “Your Damascus has 400 layers, but your neighbors have 600 layers!” It’s important to remember: it depends on what you layer. You can forge Damascus with 600 layers of nails and it will be worse than Damascus with 200 layers good metal. And one more thing. When forging, above 400 layers, it is necessary to change production process(it is necessary to additionally saturate the metal with carbon, since carbon burns out during the heating process), which significantly increases the cost of the workpiece (and, accordingly, the knife). If a knife with 1000 layers is forged in the same way as with 400 layers, then no matter what metal you take, it will look like metal from tin cans. But if you take this seriously, following the technology, then a knife made of 1000-1500-layer Damascus will be better than a 400-layer one, but its cost should be at least $200.

People often ask: “Which damask is better: with a longitudinal pattern or with a transverse twist?” From a consumer point of view it doesn't matter. Just like mosaic damasks. Only some types of end damascus may differ in working qualities. Often, mosaic damasks are inferior in cutting properties to ordinary ones. Because Often, in pursuit of a design, little attention is paid to the cutting properties of the metal.

A question often asked at exhibitions: “Does your knife cut nails?” Of course, it’s not very clear why people would chop nails with a knife?! Maybe they are connected with this occupation due to the nature of their work or have mental disabilities... But we will still try to answer this question. Let's say right away that cutting nails is not such a big problem! Knife made of any steel with a hardness of 50 units. HRC will cut a nail on the working part. You just need to change it slightly structurally: the thickness of the blade in the cutting part should be at least 1 mm (thicker is better), and the sharpening angle is at least 45 degrees (thicker is better). Order such a knife and you will be able to chop all the nails you want! Remember that the hardness of a nail is much lower than the hardness of a knife (even one made of mediocre steel); it’s all about the design of the blade. For Damascus steel, when cutting nails, the thickness of the working part can be made less than 1 mm (up to 0.6 mm), the angle can also be smaller. There are knives that cut paper, then cut the nail (by hitting the butt with a hammer) and then the knife can cut the paper again (though a little worse). In general, if you want to check the quality of the blade on a nail, it is not necessary to cut it. It is enough to plan the nail or make small notches on it. Any knife made of good Damascus steel can withstand this operation without any problems. We do not take into account knives with a very thin working part from 0.1 m and thinner (for example, fillet knives and an “Uzbek” knife). And yet, we do not recommend doing such experiments with knives, because... We believe that this is not why an adult buys a knife.

Of course, if in an extreme situation you have to use a knife to cut nails, cable or thick wire, that’s a different question. There is no need to do this unless necessary. There are other tools for this (for example: chisels, metal cutters), which are much cheaper than a good knife. With such constant experiments, especially if the objects being cut turn out to be red-hot, your knife will still break. Our company produces knives for hunters, fishermen, tourists, and for lovers of long hikes. The knife can open cans without any problems, it can easily cut the carcass of a large animal (moose, bear) without sharpening; when planing wood, it holds an edge for several days in a row. They can process several tens of kilograms of fish. It is for these purposes that the Russian Bulat company produces knives. If the knife is used for its intended purpose, the company provides a 10-year guarantee on the blade! Since our company is already 13 years old, and during this time there have been practically no complaints about blades from our Damascus. If a person buys a knife for cutting nails, throwing at wood and all kinds of experiments, then it is better to turn to some other company. True, as practice shows, if a person plans to break a knife, he will still break it, no matter where and no matter what steel the knife is made of! But this is already a sign of insanity.

We wish all readers of this article good shopping and happy hunting!

Material prepared general manager LLC "Russian Bulat" Maslennikov V.S.

No. 9 (September) 2013

Another thing is that many legends have been created around Damascus and damask steels, but they have a very distant relation to the real state of affairs. Consumers ignorant of Damascus steel production technology are interested in the working quality and practical properties of Damascus knives. Of course, in fairness, it should be noted that from year to year there are fewer ignorant people, especially in Moscow. Note that once a person works with a knife made of high-quality Damascus, he becomes its ardent fan. In terms of cutting properties, high-quality Damascus steel is several times superior to many other grades, such as 65Х13, 440С, 95Х18. Its ability to rust causes an emotional reaction among opponents, but admirers of Damascus knives calmly accept this phenomenon as a given. Indeed, such a knife requires constant care. After working with fish or meat, the knife blade must be wiped dry and lubricated with neutral oil and put into a case. If a coating of rust does appear on the blade, you need to remove it with fine sandpaper and oil, preferably with kerosene. All the troubles are compensated by excellent cutting properties, which no stainless steel, including imported, has.

The secret of the cutting properties of Damascus steel lies in a long technological process performed by hand. The basis is taken from several types of steels of different hardness, assembled in strict sequence into a package. We do not name steel grades, because... The secret of good Damascus steel lies in the correct selection of proportions of different metals. The steel package is placed in the forge and heated to forging temperature. After this, special additives are applied to prevent the formation of oxides that prevent plates of different types from welding together. Next, the package is pierced several times with a hammer and sent to the forge to be heated for welding. As soon as the package warms up, it settles under the hammer, then goes back to the forge and warms up for subsequent drawing. When the plate is welded and shaped to size, it is heated again and chopped into the required number of plates, which are cleaned of oxide and assembled into a package. Then the whole process is repeated. The number of repetitions is proportional to the quality of the product, respectively the order. After the welding process, and there can be from three to ten, the plate is unforged to the required blade size. Then the steel is normalized and the workpiece goes into further work. Steel obtained in this way is characterized by increased strength, excellent cutting properties and beauty. Damascus "Russian damask steel" has up to 400 layers of metal or more. Sometimes at exhibitions you hear that a purchased Damascus steel knife quickly became dull. The answer is simple. Either a person bought “Damascage” (i.e., stainless steel 65X13, 95X18 etched in a special way), or he purchased Damascus welded from soft metals. It is much easier and faster to weld such metal. Visually distinguishing it from high-quality Damascus is almost impossible. Soft damascus was previously used for making guns, because... For these purposes, toughness was required and the cutting properties of the metal were not needed. A knife made of soft Damascus (no matter how beautiful its design may be!) cuts worse than any knife made of stainless steel. When trying to harden such a knife, no matter how hard you try, it will not be harder than 48 units. H.R.C. A knife from the Russian Bulat company has a hardness of at least 60 units. HRC (usually 62-64 HRC units). Some believe that a knife at 64 units. HRC is made brittle. This is true for homogeneous steels (U10, 95X18), but does not apply to properly forged Damascus. This, of course, does not mean that a knife with a hardness of 64 units. HRC can be bent into a ring! But with limited contact with bones (when cutting an animal), as well as with small chopping blows, this combination of hardness and elasticity is quite sufficient. A good knife steel should not only be hard, but also elastic. Let's answer the question: why does the knife become dull? If you look at the cutting edge of a dull knife under a microscope, you can consider two situations:

The cutting edge is bent. This indicates that the steel is too soft.

The cutting edge has broken off. This indicates that the steel is too hard.

While hunting I had to observe the work of a knife made of 95X18 steel. The owner assured that he bought the knife for decent money from one of the famous craftsmen (During the sale, the knife was praised: hardness 70 HRC units, steel taken from a spaceship debris, laser sharpening, etc.). But when the hunt has come to an end, the elk is captured, the owner of the “wonderful knife” approaches the huntsman and offers to work with the knife. After about five minutes, the huntsman returns the knife: they only use lard and sausage to cut. The owner tries to butcher the beast himself. He is surprised to notice that the knife slides and does not cut... And the reason is the following. The knife was truly hardened to extreme hardness. Steel 95X18 is not particularly flexible anyway, but when hardened to more than 60 units. HRC generally loses all elasticity. In this case, when starting work, the cutting edge simply broke off. Moreover, visually this is not noticeable. When I try to sharpen the knife again, everything repeats. Often the cutting edge breaks off during the sharpening process, so a paradox arises: you sharpen the blade, the blade wears off, but the knife is still dull!

The situation is different with mild steel. For example, 40X13. When such a knife becomes dull, the cutting edge bends. It is possible to carve with such a knife if you keep a stone with you for editing - you work a little, shuffle on the stone, work again, shuffle again! This is undoubtedly better than in the first case...

The optimal grade of stainless steel is 65X13. Although it is far from quality Damascus. This grade of steel is often called medical. For people raised in the Soviet Union, the terms “medical”, “military”, “space” have a magical effect. 65X13 is a good steel for knives. But the term “medical” is difficult to apply to it. Firstly, scalpels from steel 65X13 began to be manufactured only in the late 80s, and before that carbon steels U8, U10 coated with chromium were used. Secondly, the tasks of a surgeon, who makes minor incisions during the operation, and a hunter, butchering an elk or a bear, are completely different. In addition, the medical scalpel is not reused during operations (scalpels with disposable removable blades have appeared). Although we have been using this steel for inexpensive models for a long time.

Damascus steel knives manufactured by the Russian Bulat company were tested by hunters in various parts of the country. 99% give a positive assessment of the knife's performance. 1% are people who use a knife for other purposes. (For example, one comrade tried to cut a tractor valve with a knife, another, heavily drunk, threw a knife at a tree, etc.). According to hunters, they skinned and butchered two moose in a row with a knife without additional sharpening; five small boars; large cleaver; several beavers. I personally tried to remove the skin from two moose with a knife from one sharpening point (the knife continued to cut after that!). If you look under magnification at the cutting edge of a Damascus knife after cutting an elk, you will see a micro-saw. It happened due to the fact that the soft steels were slightly crumpled, while the hard ones remained sharp due to the additional viscosity acquired during the forging process. Therefore, when we look at the cutting edge of the knife after prolonged work, the blade shines in places and it seems that the knife has become dull, but when we start cutting, the knife cuts no worse than a new one! Even when it becomes completely dull, it is enough to carefully correct it with a sharpening stone to restore its cutting properties. This is where the effect of straightening the soft parts of the cutting edge comes into play. After long work, in the winter hut or at a hunting base, the knife needs to be wiped, the cutting edge should be adjusted on a good stone, lubricated with oil and put in a case.

A question that interests many is what is better: damask or damask steel? Steel prepared from plates through a forge welding process is commonly called “Damascus.” Steel, melted in a crucible and cooled in a special way, is usually called “damask steel.” There is also an intermediate technology where cast plates are mixed with other steels through forge welding. From a consumer point of view, good damask and good damask steel are one and the same. The same hardness, the same micro-saw effect, also easy to sharpen... Bad damascus and bad damask steel will not cut. To avoid mistakes, you should purchase a knife from a reputable company with a quality guarantee. Now there are many individual entrepreneurs and new companies that have recently been producing knives. The organizers of these companies are not always well versed in metals and do not have experience in metalworking. They often do not have the necessary production base; they do not make blades, but buy them wherever it is cheaper... When buying a knife from such companies, it is foolish to hope for high quality. You should also not be tempted by the low price. It should be remembered that if the technological process is followed, a knife made of Damascus steel will cost from 2000 to 3500 rubles. Tempted by cheap knives, the consumer risks justifying the proverb - “The miser pays twice!”

“I’ll buy everything,” said gold.
“I’ll take everything,” said the damask steel.

Surely you have come across both terms - damask steel and damask. But perhaps you don't yet have a clear idea of ​​what makes one "patterned steel" different from another.

Understanding the terminology

In general, everything here is not as difficult as it might seem. What these materials have in common is the presence of a pattern, but their manufacturing technologies differ radically. The legendary Indian damask steel is, unfortunately, a lost technology: it was once passed down orally and was so carefully hidden that it was completely lost several centuries ago. The production of damask steel was not cheap, and already in the 17th century, affordable and sufficiently high-quality industrial steel began to appear, so the demand for damask steel fell and then completely disappeared. Everything we know about it (partly thanks to history, partly thanks to the experiments of the Russian metallurgist Pavel Petrovich Anosov) fits into a couple of phrases - damask steel was exceptionally strong, sharp and, of course, legendaryly beautiful. In Rus', damask steel was often called kharalug (horolug), or kharaluzhnaya (horoluzhnaya) * steel, although in fairy tales we often encounter the term “damask steel” itself.

* You can find one or the other spelling. Perhaps the option taken out of brackets would be more correct, since, firstly, it is precisely this one that is found in ancient sources, in the same “Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, and secondly, it preserves the letter “a” in the common Turkic root “hara” /“kara” (“black”).

By the way, about fairy tales and epics. They attribute almost magical properties to damask blades, but it is wrong to think that this is some kind of non-existent, fairy-tale metal. In fact, damask steel was simply the best option for its time. Practical tests of even the best samples that have survived to this day show properties close to ordinary inexpensive carbon steels of modern manufacture. However, in the Middle Ages, the bulk of blades were made from such low-quality raw materials that even such properties seemed mystical and magical to contemporaries.

At one time, Anosov, in the first half of the 19th century, managed to create an alloy that fully met all the characteristics of damask steel. Although, of course, we cannot know for sure how similar the technology and composition discovered by our metallurgist are to the “original”. The fact is that there were several technologies for producing damask steel even in ancient times: it is not known for certain whether Anosov recreated one of them or came up with his own.

And now we come to the actual clarification. Historically, there were two main technologies for producing patterned steel. One of them involved casting, the other involved welding and forging several types of steels together; the first retained the name damask steel, and the second began to be called damask.

• Cast damask steel is patterned steel in the historical sense we are familiar with, produced by casting and forging methods.
• Welded damask steel (or Damascus) is patterned steel produced primarily by forging methods.

High-quality weapons were made from special “damask steel” ingots called wootz. It was the beauty of the damask pattern that was associated with its magnificent properties. But wootz was expensive and difficult to produce, which spurred the search for technologies for creating patterned blades by alternative means. What is now called Damascus began to be produced specially by folding and forging several layers of blanks from different types steel. New material it was not inferior in strength to damask steel, and in appearance it turned out to be much more beautiful than cast damask steel.

Now a little more about types Damask steel and types Damascus - we will make such a division due to the fact that we classify materials according to different principles: regarding damask steel, we will talk about the alloying elements in its composition, and regarding Damascus, we will also talk about several technologies.

Types of cast damask steel: high-carbon and stainless alloys

One more important note about damask and damask that is worth making right now. In their chemical composition, they most closely resemble the high-carbon steels we are used to, but with a very heterogeneous composition, and this means both increased strength and toughness, and susceptibility to rust. Carbon and stainless steel, as we know, are not just two steels with different compositions. The difference is rather vague - the whole point is whether the material contains alloying elements that increase the corrosion resistance of steel, and in what quantities.

So, normally damask steel corresponds to what we call carbon steel, but a modified chemical composition (adding a significant amount of chromium - from 14% or more) while maintaining the physical structure gives us the so-called stainless damask steel. It retains the properties of strength and hardness inherent in ordinary cast damask steel, and products made from it are almost as easy to sharpen. But a product made from it, like any hand-forged product, is incredibly expensive.

Eight types of welded damask steel (damascus)

With Damascus, everything is much more interesting: there are at least eight varieties of welded damask steel, also known as Damascus. Before we get to them, it's worth making a quick note.

In principle, it is possible to create stainless Damascus. To do this, you need to assemble a package of steel alloyed with the necessary additives and start welding it in a vacuum, laying it in layers and unforging it, and then repeating this cycle again. Technically it is quite difficult, however modern technologies successfully cope with the task, as exemplified by chef knives with patterned stainless steel linings.

"Wild" Damascus

This is the same damask that results if the master does not use special tools and technology, that is, if the process occurs naturally. Sheets of steel with different chemical compositions are folded together, welded and unforged; then they are cut in half, folded again, and all actions are repeated. The result is layered steel. If its forging does not have a clear plan, then the pattern turns out disordered, or “wild”.

When making this type of patterned steel, the blacksmith uses a tool called a stamp: thanks to it, the damascus appears on the surface of the layered plate. beautiful pattern, not very reminiscent of the pattern on plain damask. Depending on the stamp's pattern, it may resemble a ladder, the growth layers of a tree cut, the surface of water in the rain, or a combination of these patterns.

Mosaic damasks are often distinguished not only by the technology of forging, but also by the composition itself - the package is assembled in the manner of a mosaic from steel blanks of different shapes and compositions so that as a result of overlaying and forging, such a characteristic pattern is obtained.

Mosaic Powder Damascus

One of the most complex species Damascus; a technology that is rarely practiced in Russia.

To create a blade like the one in the photo, you need to prepare a cliche with a certain slotted pattern made of steel. Then the cliche is filled with powdered steel, which, when etched, will contrast with the base, and under the influence high temperatures and the pressure turns into a monolith. Now from this ingot it is possible to forge a blade using conventional technology, welding or alternating patterned layers with each other.

Twisted Damascus

Twisted Damascus, also known as Turkish, is created by twisting a piece of several welded rods around itself. The pattern will depend on the number and composition of steels in the original package, the angle of twist and the depth of the cut. As with mosaic technology, from the resulting “twist” you can then unforge a blade using conventional technology, welding or alternating patterned layers with each other.

The technique for making this type of damascus is somewhat different from others. A patterned mosaic of parts of various shapes and different steels is applied to a blade made of homogeneous steel. Then the workpiece is boiled under a vacuum press. Thus, no folding or torsion is used in its manufacture. When a fully forged block is ready, the plates that previously served as the basis for assembling the mosaic are cut off from it.

Another foreign method of forging Damascus. Its composition is no different from the standard one, and neither is the beginning of unchaining. But about halfway through the process, the blacksmith turns the workpiece 90 degrees and begins to unforge it again. This is how characteristic “short” (compared to ordinary) divorces are obtained.

Multi-row Damascus

This is a type, rather, not of material, but already finished product, that is, the blade. Strips of damask of different designs (mosaic, twisted, etc.) are placed side by side and forged together in order to create a visually impressive combination of patterns. The composition and manufacturing technique of these strips often differ: closer to the cutting edge, a durable and sharp type of damascus is placed, and closer to the butt, a durable and tough type with especially beautiful patterns is placed.

A little about the manufacturing technologies of damask steel and damascus

There is no ready-made, only correct “recipe” for a package of steel for the production of cast damask steel and welded damascus, and many patterned steels assembled using casting and forging technologies can bear this name. However, several characteristic features Bulat alloys still have it.

This is, perhaps, the minimum thing that someone who is planning to purchase a damask (cast or welded) blade needs to know.

Damascus steel (or simply Damascus) is one of the most controversial steels for which we have prepared a review. On the one hand, there are very few people who have never heard of it, on the other hand, few people know well what it is.

The hallmark of this brand of steel is the pattern on the surface, which is achieved due to the uneven distribution of carbon due to the heterogeneity of the material, which is specially emphasized by etching the surface with acids to give the blade a beautiful texture.

Perhaps this all does not sound completely clear, but in this article we will largely consider the characteristics and pros and cons of Damascus blades, and not the production technology. For those who are interested in the process, we recommend reading.

Chemical composition of Damascus steel

Usually in this section I place a table with percentages chemical elements in steel. But in this case, doing this is quite problematic.

We make blades from a package of four steels: ШХ-15 (structural carbon steel), HVG (steel for measuring and cutting tools), U8A (carbon tool steel) and steel-3 (the name is conditional, but not a single master will want to fully reveal the secrets of their products.

In the photo (from left to right): assembling and welding a package of steels, twisting an unforged package, forging a package of steels with a hammer.

Looking at the photographs, it is not difficult to understand how the package is assembled. The blacksmith complies process, but it will not be possible to measure “in grams” how much steel went into the workpiece. So to the question about chemical composition Damascus steel cannot be answered unequivocally - it may vary slightly from batch to batch. Of course, it is possible to carry out radiocarbon analysis of steel, but this is very expensive.

Characteristics of Damascus steel

If you have already visited various knife sites, then you are very familiar with such a parameter as HRC, if not, then I will give a short explanation. HRC is the hardness on the Rockwell scale, the higher it is, the stronger the steel, and the knife holds an edge longer, this characteristic fluctuates maybe from a little over 40 for a Chinese stamping to 65-70 for a Japanese samurai katana.

For Damascus steel knives, HRC varies from 61 to 64 units. Our products are manufactured with HRC 62. It is very problematic to draw a parallel with other steels due to the fact that Damascus itself is not steel, but a package of steels. Damask steel is the closest in appearance and characteristics, but it has HRC = 64 and the price is slightly higher.

Damascus steel pros and cons:

Like any other steel, Damascus has positive and negative sides, let’s look at them in more detail.

Pros:

• Beautiful pattern on the blade. It's simply impossible not to add this item first to the list. Although the drawing does not affect the cutting properties, it looks so beautiful.
• The strength of 62 units speaks for itself; the knife can easily cope with work in a camp camp and cutting wood and bone.

Of course, we won’t ignore the disadvantages either; all steels have them.

Cons:

• Low corrosion resistance. This is payment for what the blade contains large number carbon, and alloying elements are almost completely absent from the steel composition.
• The rather complex process of manufacturing welded damascus cannot but affect the final price of the product.
• Requires careful handling and care after every hunting, fishing or hiking trip.

Results:

• By appearance Damascus blades are some of the most beautiful - ideal as a gift.
• Requires significant care after use and is not intended for chopping or throwing.
• Good option a “ceremonial” knife, but for a large volume of heavy work it is not the best option.