They claim to be able to make steel that matches the metallurgical properties of traditional Damascus steel, and they have some electron micrographs showing the structure. Does anyone with more knowledge of this subject know if these claims are valid? There’s a link to a PDF file of a report done by a professor of mechanical engineering,but it doesn’t include any samples of historical Damascus.
As valid as I think they can be. I read an article in Scientific American about the two who rediscovered the process, a metallurgist and a blacksmith/knifemaker. It went into quite a bit of detail about how the vanadium impurities in the Wootz cake ingots and the hand forging process gave damascus steel its properties so I’m fairly convinced. If I can find a link to the article I’ll post it. I think the most interesting part is that damascus steel is not laminated as was commonly thought.
This is not the Scientific American article, but it goes into even more detail
JOM: The Member Journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society -The Key Role of Impurities in Ancient Damascus Steel Blades - J.D. Verhoeven, A.H. Pendray, and W.E. Dauksch
I just wanted to say that the videos of those guys cutting the tatami mats are pretty cool. I noticed the swords they used for those seem to have very long hilts so they can place their hands far apart. Is that for more blade control?
Several years ago, I read an article about Damascus steel in an issue of Muse magazine, which is a pretty intellectual magazine for kids. They showed how Damascus steel was made, and how the different patterns in the steel were formed. It was really cool, and presented in a really easy-to-understand way (it’d have to be, for a kids’ magazine), and I can’t find my copy of it. I’m so annoyed.
In Neal Stephenson’s Braroque Trilogy, which is set in the 1600’s, there’s a Damascus steel sword that plays a pretty significant role in the story: Jack’s “Janissary” sword. In “The Confusion” (I think), Jack watches some metalworkers make wootz and forge it into swords. Pretty interesting, and an excellent series of books overall.
About every ten years, someone comes along and says that they’ve rediscovered Damascus steel, or how to make a modern violin sound like a Strad. Another group claiming to have developed it for industrial purposes.
Why bother? It’s not like there hasn’t been any advances in metallurgy in the last several hundred years. There are countless modern high stregth low alloy steel products to choose from and numerous production techniques available now that the Damascus steel makers could never have imagined. Damascus steel was great for its day, but really didn’t have any competition to comapre it with.
It’s like saying they don’t build cars like they used to. Well no they don’t, they actually can make them better now (when they want to that is 
). Some people just like to remember the good old days as being perfect.
The “why” is mostly artistic. Some Damascus blades have a beautiful pattern as the different steels cross. Some collectors put value on the historical techniques. These same folks will pay more for a pocketknife with a knapped flint blade. There’s a supplier for every customer.
Why bother making a cake from scratch, or doing home weaving or pottery? There is a satisfaction in being able to make a beautiful item.
IMO they’re misuing the term Damascus as far as forge welded laminated steels are concerned. Forge welded laminations are a perfectly valid way to make samurai swords and used to be fine for shotgun barrels but it isn’t the same process used to make Damascus blades.
The powdered metal process may produce the physical propreties but leave it to the Scandinavians to suck all the soul out of something. There are metaphysical properties that come from a blacksmith’s muscle and hammer that cannot be reproduced by such cold processes.
Si Amigo, this is an area where if you need an explanation you wouldn’t get it anyway. It’s why some people prefer a good mechanical watch movement to quartz even though the cheaper watch is more accurate. The mechanical watch is more tangible.
Certainly they have. I have a few damascus knives myself. The modern dudes have many damascus processes- some more historical than others.