| nd foremost, be aware that most everything you | | | | people use a knife for, they're good enough, and |
| read about the legendary properties of Damascus | | | | they're cheaper to make — being a single |
| Steel is bunk. Pure and unadulterated bunk. This also | | | | casting blank that's then ground down to a blade. |
| applies to anything you've read about Samurai | | | | They also have the advantage of not tarnishing or |
| swords, pattern forged Viking swords, and any other | | | | rusting, making them much lower maintenance.) |
| "sword of legend". These blades are tools; | | | | However, the primary purpose of owning a |
| sometimes they're well made tools — but the | | | | Damascus steel blade is aesthetics. The patterns in |
| real world of steel manufacturing changed with the | | | | the steel caused by carbon impurities are attractive, |
| Bessemer process in the 1840s, when exact control | | | | and range in styles and patterns that come from the |
| of the amount of carbon in a steel blank could be | | | | lot of steel that was used to make the blade, its |
| controlled. You can make as good a sword blade | | | | forging technique and how many times it was layered |
| from any modern laminate steel, like that found in an | | | | over to fold it. Damascus steel knives are one of the |
| automobile leaf spring. | | | | few truly practical tools that also qualifies as a work |
| That doesn't mean Damascus steel isn't a remarkable | | | | of art. (In our estimation, the Craftsman Vanadium |
| material, and that the blades made from it are | | | | Steel Lug Wrench set also qualifies, but, well, we're |
| valueless. They can be collector's items, and lots of | | | | guys who like to work with our hands.) |
| craftsmen who want to recreate the old ways, to | | | | Fortunately, most of the techniques for creating |
| find out how things were done in the 12th century | | | | Damascus steel were recreated in the last century. |
| onwards exist, and they're showing a lot of | | | | Germany made thousands of Damascus steel blades |
| innovation in steel and blade manufacturing. | | | | for the Army in World War II, and a number of |
| Damascus steel is an excellent tool for knife blades, | | | | researchers and medieval recreation societies went |
| and in the modern world, knives are much more | | | | into the business of recreating Damascus steel as a |
| useful than swords as general tools
and compared | | | | production methodology in the US in the 1970s. Now, |
| to the stainless steel that most knives are made | | | | there are several artisan craftsmen who make |
| from, Damascus steel holds a better edge, is more | | | | Damascus pattern forged steel blades of nearly |
| durable, and is harder to break or damage than the | | | | every pattern; most will tell you that their method of |
| traditional stainless steel knife blanks. (Stainless steel | | | | creating it is either the most authentic — or |
| knife blanks exist because for 99% of what most | | | | will result in a better blade than all the imitators. |