The Birth of a Tool: Damascus Knife

[xl_target]

The Birth Of A Tool. Damascus steel knife making.

Quite interesting

[youtube][/youtube]

Also

[samrat]

Beautiful video.
xl_target, You made my day.. thank you very much

[essdee1972]

Thanks, XL! That's a treat!

[brihacharan]

The Birth Of A Tool. Damascus steel knife making.
Quite interesting
http://vimeo.com/56287630

Thanks xl_target for sharing....enjoyed watching it
"It is a tragedy of the first magnitude that millions of people have ceased to use their hands as hands. Nature has bestowed upon us this great gift which is our hands. If the craze for machinery methods continues, it is highly likely that a time will come when we shall be so incapacitated and weak that we shall begin to curse ourselves for having forgotten the use of the living machines given to us by God."
Mahathma Gandhi"
(Copied & pasted from the foot note that appears under the video clip)
Briha

[Prabhath]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing.

[Vikram]

That's a beautifully shot video,XL, and that the process is captured in such a short video is outstanding.Hope you do not mind me sharing the video.

Best-
Vikram

[Amanjot singh]

This is not damascus steel. Its called patern welded steel. The steel is now called wootz steel instead of damascus because this steel originated and was made in india. Then shipped to damascus for weapon making and then they exported it to Europe. This art of making wootz steel has eloped. A lot of metargical research going on but have not cracked it yet.

[xl_target]

This is not damascus steel. Its called patern welded steel. The steel is now called wootz steel instead of damascus because this steel originated and was made in india. Then shipped to damascus for weapon making and then they exported it to Europe. This art of making wootz steel has eloped. A lot of metargical research going on but have not cracked it yet.

You are quite correct, Amanjot.
However,

Since the well-known technique of pattern welding produced surface patterns similar to those found on Damascus blades, some blacksmiths were erroneously led to believe that Damascus blades were made using this technique, but today, the difference between wootz steel and pattern welding is fully documented and well understood. Pattern-welded steel has been referred to as "Damascus steel" since 1973 when Bladesmith William F. Moran unveiled his "Damascus knives" at the Knifemakers' Guild Show. This "Modern Damascus" is made from several types of steel and iron slices welded together to form a billet, and currently the term "damascus" (although technically incorrect) is widely accepted to describe modern pattern welded steel blades in the trade . The patterns vary depending on how the smith works the billet. The billet is drawn out and folded until the desired number of layers are formed. In order to attain a Master Smith rating with the American Bladesmith Society that Moran founded, the smith must forge a damascus blade with a minimum of 300 layers.

[Moin.]

Fantastic video dada.... Always amazing to see a master craftsman at work.

Regards
Moin.

[kshitij]

Awesome awesome video! The damascus/pattern welded blades top the list of knives that I prefer to buy and collect.
This video has reignited the drive to make more of my own knives

[Rrahulkumar]

The Wootz steel is believed to have originated in India. There are several ancient Greek and Roman literary references to high-quality Indian steel since the time of Alexander's India campaign. Archaeological evidence suggests that the crucible steel process started in the present-day Tamil Nadu before the start of Common Era. The Arabs are believed to have introduced the Indian wootz steel to Damascus, where an industry developed for making weapons of this steel. The 12th century Arab traveler Edrisimentioned the "Hinduwani" or Indian steel as the best in the world.[1] Another sign of its reputation is seen in a Persian phrase – to give an "Indian answer", meaning "a cut with an Indian sword."[2] Wootz steel was widely exported and traded throughout ancientEurope and the Arab world, and became particularly famous in the Middle East.[2]From the 17th century onwards, several European travelers observed the steel manufacturing in South India, at Mysore,Malabar and Golconda. The word "wootz" appears to have originated as a mistranscription of wook, an anglicised version of ukku, the word for steel in Kannada language.[3][4] According to one theory, the word ukku is based on the meaning "melt, dissolve"; other Dravidian languages have similar sounding words for steel.[5] Another theory says that the word is a variation ofuchcha or ucha ("superior"). When Benjamin Heyne inspected the Indian steel in Ceded Districts and other Kannada-speaking areas, he was informed that the steel was ucha kabbina ("superior iron"), also known as ukku tundu in Mysore.[6][7]

-source Wikipedia


Makes me proud that this steel originated from India. . If only somewhere in remote parts some blacksmith has kept this technique or knowledge alive. .

[xl_target]

Hope you do not mind me sharing the video.

Best-
Vikram

I saw that. No problems here.

[xl_target]

[quote="Rrahulkumar"


Makes me proud that this steel originated from India. . If only somewhere in remote parts some blacksmith has kept this technique or knowledge alive. .[/quote]

It is sad that this and other related technologies have disappeared.

Think of the Iron Pillar in Delhi.
It is made of iron and in something like 1600 years, has not rusted away.
That is just incredible.


Link

[ckkalyan]

Very nice video indeed xl_target - many thanks for sharing!

That's one shivering cold cabin he is working out of (forgive me - I'm a warm blooded creature and enjoy my ++degrees) !!

[Rrahulkumar]

It is sad that this and other related technologies have disappeared.

Think of the Iron Pillar in Delhi.
It is made of iron and in something like 1600 years, has not rusted away.
That is just incredible.

[ Image ]
Link

whole heartedly with you
Back in my hometown Vadodara, the iron fence of the Laxmivilas Palace ground is also of some similar iron.. it runs around the Palace grounds which is a staggering 700 acres the Palace was built in 1860

I have seen it all my life take the battering of nature without even a small chink in it

And here we are... oiling and cleaning our imported knives twice a year