Damascus, the steel with unique patterns

History of Damascus steel

Damascus steel results of a forging technique going back over 2000 years. Its precise origins are unknown. Westerners know Damascus steel since the first Crusades (in Syria, in D....!) when the Saracens used to have knives forged with this material.
Damascus steel went through centuries, continents and times. Its fame is important. Its reputation was earned by the various arts and collections objects such as prestigious swords, guns and rifles'barrels...
For two decades, American blacksmiths rediscovered Damascus steel in cutlery.

Our Damascus steel manufacturing technique

There are different techniques to make Damascus. Our blacksmith manufactures welded Damascus steel.

1- Preparing the billet :

Yves, our blacksmith, stacks up steel plates with identical size alternating hard steel and soft steel. He makes a billet (depending on the type of blade he wants to forge Yves use different steels) to which he adds a handle.

2- Welding :

This steel block is heated until a temperature compatible with the various steels (a gaz hoven allows a homogeneous and constant stoking on the whole billet. It is then FORGED.
Yves hot-hammers the billet so that the steel layers are welded together and form a unique homogeneous block (with several drop-hammers.)

3- Stretching and straightening :

Once the welding is done, Yves heats the billet and then crushes it in order the stretch it (to keep an homogeneous steel bar, hot-straightening is done on the anvil.) The billet lenghth having doubled, the block is cut. The two parts are folded one above the other. Those two parts being distinct, the previous stage is done again : The welding of the two parts, then stretching of the billet.
This process of 'folding', welding and stretching is done as many times as necessary to obtain the number of layers wished in the blade (from a 5 layers billet, one can get to a 320 blade out of 6 cutting, welding, stretching operations.)
-Thickness control and shaping :
The Damascus steel block is hot-hammered to get to the wished thickness. In a billet, Yves can obtain 4 to 8 blades.

4- Shaping and finishing off :

The last operations are done : thickness control, precise shaping of the blade, precise blade bottom making (depending on the knife size), hollow grinding, nail nick. All of those operations are handmade on abrasive strips.
Oil quenching and fine polishing. At last, Yves plunges the Damascus blade in an acid bath : the metal layres oxidize, the patterns are revealed.

Les qualités de l'acier Damas

Yves Conquet permanently forges damascus blades in our Laguiole workshop.

Damascus steel is :
- unique because the patterns of the steel layers are never identical.
- an emotion conferred to the knife by a handcrafted manufacturing
- stronger because more flexible
- a steel with carbon : a long lasting edge a honing made easier by the hollow grinding (the steel does not give a taste to the food.)
- an easy care : if you often use your knife, wipe the blade after each use. If you use your knife from time to time, oil the blade in order to avoid the lost of contrast between the different layers of steel.

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