Been making knives for over 30yrs. Took some time off. After watching your vids, I’ve dusted off my gear, got some new stuff and have been prepping to make knives again. Currently Rebuilding by forge so I can make Damascus.
Well done! That little thing came out really looking good. I believe it would make a great little EDC. For having not made damascus in years I think you did a bank up job. Kudo's!
100 layers is fine. My favorite I think is the rain drop pattern. This one turned out great. Itching to get out in the forge, but this Texas weather is HOT! Thanks for the video.
That knife is a thing of beauty and joy to behold! Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge. Who can give a thumbs down to this content? Go watch something else.
Just rewatched for the ?? time (a bunch). Great guide as I getting ready to do final finishing on a damascus knife I started in 1993 (yes 28 years ago). Very helpful on the steps, grits and acid etching!! Thank you!
I really learned a lot from this video, thanks for sharing the details on how tackle each small problem. There a lot of knife making vids on YT, not many are as useful as yours.
One suggestion; twist on a piece of wire for a temporary handle to the butt end of your damascus blade before heat treating. The area of your butt end, where your tongs grab it, your tongs will steal heat out of your tang, causing it to not harden the same as the rest of the blade. The result being, your final etch won't look the same throughout the entire blade. Grabbing onto the temporary wire handle with your tongs, means your entire damascus blade heats up equally and the etch looks much better.
Thank you very much, sir! If you have the time it's doable... but man it was a lot of work! A power hammer or hydraulic press would really come in handy... I also think for the hand forging dude, hidden tangs may be the way to go so you can maximize the blade size. Cheers man
When you're cutting off the Corby bolts you should try taking a piece of sheet metal with a hole drilled in it and just hold that over the Corby Bolt and then cut it up against a sheet metal
Nice work, that's a sweet little knife. Personally I prefer the lower count abstract patterns with high contrast. You know, kind of like this one. Beautiful knife!
Wish I could like this 100x. Beautiful blade! The carpenter in me woulda put a sick chunk of burl on the handle but I get why you prefer micarta. Ya gotta be be proud of that one. I would be. Very nice work
came out real nice - but , just as important - the video came out killer, great information. you do this very well. keep up the great content and work!!
Hey Tyrell, thanks man. Crazy thing is that i have a press at my parents house... built it back in high school and it's been sitting there for about 15 years!... Would need new hydraulics, but its structurally sound. Problem is the space requirement... LOL (Have a good week sir!)
Love it! I’d carry it proudly! Man seeing something like this come together, then seeing the result, makes me WANT in an entirely unhealthy manner! Lol Great job!
Looks great! I've got a small stack of 15n20 and 1084 that I've held back for a similar build, but I've not yet started on it. Like you, I dont have a press or power hammer so was good to see what 'can' be done without such. If mine turns out half as nice as that one, I'll consider it a win! Great job as always!
Heck yeah man, thank you! If I were to do a bigger knife, I think I'd work on two billets this size then combine them at the end.... Or just forge out a hidden tang knife instead. Just some thoughts. Cheers sir!
Today Ive been working on my third damascus billet, man Im really tired it took 3 hours to make 36 layers hot cutting and with an 8 ton forge press. Im gonna quarter it up later on this week and weld it; I hope it turns out half as nice as your knife. Great job!
Wow - That's a beautiful knife!!! You are amazing! I love watching how you do this; and the skillful improvisation of tooling and creativity - a Master and his craft!
How long did this build take? I would have put one more checking file mark on the spine closer to the point. Being a small knife you then the lay your finger over the spine for more control. Nice build well done. I’m glad you showed the mistakes and how you fixed them.
A late question from my side, just found your channel and am enjoying your vids a lot. You have a great voice btw. I was wondering about your respiratory protection, what is that and how does it work? Looks like some scubadiver stuff?
Hey Annikka, thanks! This is the respirator I use. It goes in and out of stock since the virus. Resp-O-Rator - amzn.to/2M6PMN7 Great for those of us with beards since it doesn't require a face seal.
Evening from the UK mate. Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway you mentioned in the video about forging temp at the moment I do.stock.removal.but want to.give forging a go what colour is the metal at forging temp. Sorry for the essay 😅
Hey Matt, they have some references online with different colors and temps which are decent. (Type in "Metal Heat Chart Color") - Forge welding heats are around 1800-2000 F. I find it's a decent indicator to watch the flux... it gets very melted.
Hello sir. That is Borax (flux). It prevents oxygen from getting in between the layers and causing a delamination. At least that's what I understand it does.
Hey John, I cool the blade in water after each tempering cycle. This has no negative affect on the blade and speeds up the tempering process. (Normalizing is done in the forge and in that case you'll let the blade cool to room temp naturally or with a fan)
Thank you sir! I have no idea! I'm going to get a sheath together for this one... and likely put it on Instagram for sale eventually. I'm not sure the price.
I actually think this is one of the best knives I’ve seen you make, James. Really, I do. I noticed that you hand-sanded dry most of the time. Was that for any particular reason? Also, the green micarta ended up looking very camo, as did the blade. Great job, man. If I made something half as nice, I’d be very happy. All the best! 🇬🇧🤜⚡️🤛🇺🇸
Thank you very much sir! I really like the way this one turned out as well. I've hand sanded both dry and with Windex in the past. I do think the windex probably helps cutting longer to some degree... but I like not getting everything wet. I may go back to it. I've seen Nick Wheeler use oil.
Red Beard Ops I’ve seen Windex for low grits and oil for high grits. I think both prevent clogging. Either way, your blade turned out great! 👍 🇬🇧🤜⚡️🤛🇺🇸
Very nice knife! Thank you for all your explanations, very much appreciated! May I ask a question: while making a damascus knife, how can I make sure that most of the layers will be visible at the end, should I grind the billet at an angle?
I have a question, I am very new to knife making and was wondering if it's possible to make a knife like the one used in this video that's Damascus and has a Hamon line in it? Your feedback would be awesome
Hi! Glad you're making some knives! I haven't tried a hamon line on a piece of damascus, but I imagine it could look kinda funky since the damascus above the hamon line would also be a lighter color.
Toss up between Feather, Raindrop and Mosaic patterns. P.S. to save yourself a good bit of material (with knife making anyhow) you really should look into encapsulating your damascus billets in mild steel... I mean I know that Borax is pretty cheap, but no oxygen getting between the plates of 15N20 and 1080 = No forge scale. may not save much money and it adds a step, but it saves you a lot of time and you don't lose nearly as much material as if you were setting your welds/forging in open air.
Hey man I was into this when I was in high school - Stopped over college - and got back into it about 3 years ago. Not sure on the tools... You kinda acquire them as you go. Start small and work you way up. Drill press should probably be #1, 2x72 is nice too
Evening mate I have yet another question what flux do you use I have tried ebay and there are about 200,00 different powders, pastes and oils. I have the mild and HC steele ready to go 😆
your going to want to learn to use tongs for forging to shape. to start with a pair of wolf jaw tongs from Blacksmithdepot will work great. the reason for using tongs is you can better shape the handle as you can start with the handle away from your holding object makes it much easier to forge it out.
Hey man it's a Sieg X2D. I'll be doing a detailed review in the future I think. If you're going to buy one get it from little machine shop... they have the best version. LMS Sieg X2D Mini Mill - amzn.to/3AfpNtT
@@RedBeardOps Thank you for the info. Look forward to the episode on it. Have you ever considered converting it to CNC? I have a CNC wood router it is great but I can't do the metal matching like the mini mill, and I really don't need a big mill either. It has my interest perked.
So... what's yall's favorite damascus pattern?!?
All of the Mosaic Damascus Kyle Royer does. That guy is a genius
To be honest what u did there has to be up there looks like a marbel finish
Feather Damascus
Yea Kyle Roger is a bloody Damascus wizard
Awesome video dude
Been making knives for over 30yrs. Took some time off. After watching your vids, I’ve dusted off my gear, got some new stuff and have been prepping to make knives again. Currently Rebuilding by forge so I can make Damascus.
HECK YEAH! That's awesome Steve. Glad you're back in the game!
The handmade knife is amazing, very beautiful, sophisticated and distinctive taste, the most beautiful and solid knife, you are a genius ❤😮😮😮😮😮
Absolutely love this knife! I would ditch my folders and carry this baby everyday.
Thank you! Cheers
Well done! That little thing came out really looking good. I believe it would make a great little EDC. For having not made damascus in years I think you did a bank up job. Kudo's!
Thank you sir! I'm stoked it came out in one solid piece with no inclusions! A press would be handy for sure... Have a great weekend!
Man that really cane out SWEET! The uniform bevel work on the handke scales really caught my after.... after the domascus, of course!
Thanks 👍
A+ on doing damascus by hand man! It is no easy task.
Thank you very much, sir! It did take some time for sure... Have a great weekend!
Nice job! I fold stack to save fuel, time and material. That is a real nice looking knife!
Forge On!
Thank you sir! Cheers
100 layers is fine. My favorite I think is the rain drop pattern. This one turned out great. Itching to get out in the forge, but this Texas weather is HOT! Thanks for the video.
Hey yeah man. I need to try a rain drop for sure. It is freaking hot out there!
I love that final step with the Ballistol. Love that stuff. Smells fantastic.
Man.... I wish Ballistol would sponsor me... I use that stuff on everything. Only thing I really use for handgun cleaning too.
That knife is a thing of beauty and joy to behold! Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge. Who can give a thumbs down to this content? Go watch something else.
Lol, thank you greatly David! Glad you enjoyed the build
Great looking knife....great video and a really great voiceover with plenty of information.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks Rob! Really happy you enjoyed it!
Awesome little knife! Love that you did the Damascus by hand.
Thanks Tim! A labor of necessity! LOL
Just rewatched for the ?? time (a bunch). Great guide as I getting ready to do final finishing on a damascus knife I started in 1993 (yes 28 years ago). Very helpful on the steps, grits and acid etching!! Thank you!
Heck yeah David! Glad you liked this one. I loved this little build
I really learned a lot from this video, thanks for sharing the details on how tackle each small problem. There a lot of knife making vids on YT, not many are as useful as yours.
Thank you very much sir! Really glad you're enjoying the videos
Amazing results 👏 👌 🙌
Thank you! Cheers!
One suggestion; twist on a piece of wire for a temporary handle to the butt end of your damascus blade before heat treating. The area of your butt end, where your tongs grab it, your tongs will steal heat out of your tang, causing it to not harden the same as the rest of the blade. The result being, your final etch won't look the same throughout the entire blade. Grabbing onto the temporary wire handle with your tongs, means your entire damascus blade heats up equally and the etch looks much better.
Thank Dan|! That's a great idea! I did notice some variation in the pattern where my tongs were
Great job. I love this little knife. Great info on hand forging Damascus. Thanks!
Thank you very much, sir! If you have the time it's doable... but man it was a lot of work! A power hammer or hydraulic press would really come in handy... I also think for the hand forging dude, hidden tangs may be the way to go so you can maximize the blade size. Cheers man
Absolutely awesome video, James! Thanks for sharing my brother! 😎👍🏻🔨🔥🔪
Cheers Bob!
So beautiful.
Nice job.
Thank you! Cheers!
When you're cutting off the Corby bolts you should try taking a piece of sheet metal with a hole drilled in it and just hold that over the Corby Bolt and then cut it up against a sheet metal
Good idea sir, that will protect the scales nicely!
Nice work, that's a sweet little knife.
Personally I prefer the lower count abstract patterns with high contrast. You know, kind of like this one. Beautiful knife!
Hey thanks man! Really glad you liked this build and the final product... I like it too!
Wish I could like this 100x. Beautiful blade! The carpenter in me woulda put a sick chunk of burl on the handle but I get why you prefer micarta. Ya gotta be be proud of that one. I would be. Very nice work
Hey Michael! Really appreciate that! I went with the micarta in this case due to being lazy! It was already 1/4'' and already flat(ish)
Good one man ,that turned out really good, nice green scales .that Damascus pattern also looks great, enjoyed watching very much.
Thank you very much sir! Really happy you liked this one. I like the color combo too!
Absolutely stunning.....too beautiful to use 💚💚💚💚
Thankyou! Glad you liked this one!
Another great video and knife. Your attention to detail and workmanship is impressive. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks man! Really appreciate that!
Another beautiful knife always enjoy your videos and trying not to miss an single video
Thank you very much! Appreciate it man.
So good ..... Can wait 2 try myself ...thx 4 sharing with us
Cheers sir! Glad you liked it!
came out real nice - but , just as important - the video came out killer, great information. you do this very well. keep up the great content and work!!
Thank you very much sir! Glad you enjoyed it!
Gorgeous little knife.
Thanks Kenny!
@@RedBeardOps you're welcome. Keep up the good work.
Great build, it came out beautiful! Great to see you doing more forging. Time to build a press now! 😜
Hey Tyrell, thanks man. Crazy thing is that i have a press at my parents house... built it back in high school and it's been sitting there for about 15 years!... Would need new hydraulics, but its structurally sound. Problem is the space requirement... LOL (Have a good week sir!)
Ah, I’d make space for that and give something else up. But making Damascus is my main drive, so... 😜
Great video. I learn something new from each of your videos! Thanks for sharing
Cheers from Canada
Thank you very much sir! Cheers from Texas!
I love this knife. Outstanding job!
Thank you!
Love it! I’d carry it proudly! Man seeing something like this come together, then seeing the result, makes me WANT in an entirely unhealthy manner! Lol Great job!
Right on!
Das ist der Hammer . Fünf Sterne von feinsten
Vielen Dank!!
super cool man. thinking of starting playing with knife making now that my firearm phase seems to be fading a bit
Good luck with your builds!
Love that handle! Very nice my friend
Thank you very much Robert! Glad you like it!
Very nicely done! That's 99 layers..... minus the layers you ground off.
Glad you enjoyed it Curtis! Cheers
Great video awesome job turned out well forge on my friend keep up the great craftsmanship and work
Thank you very much, sir!
Red Beard Ops ur very welcome my friend forge on keep it up
Looks great! I've got a small stack of 15n20 and 1084 that I've held back for a similar build, but I've not yet started on it. Like you, I dont have a press or power hammer so was good to see what 'can' be done without such. If mine turns out half as nice as that one, I'll consider it a win! Great job as always!
Heck yeah man, thank you! If I were to do a bigger knife, I think I'd work on two billets this size then combine them at the end.... Or just forge out a hidden tang knife instead. Just some thoughts. Cheers sir!
Excellent Work!!! Thank You For Sharing Your Talent!!!! 🤤😀👍😎😁
Thank you very much! I'm just learning over here :)
Today Ive been working on my third damascus billet, man Im really tired it took 3 hours to make 36 layers hot cutting and with an 8 ton forge press. Im gonna quarter it up later on this week and weld it; I hope it turns out half as nice as your knife. Great job!
Thank you very much sir! Good luck with your build, it sounds epic.
Loved the attention to detail.
Really appreciate your comment sir!
James, great knife and build. Love the pattern in the Damascus.
Thanks Nick! Really glad you liked it. This one took a while.
That pattern looks amazing! Great job!
Thank you sir! Very happy you enjoyed this one!
@@RedBeardOps I enjoy all of them mate! Was a really nice pattern though! Nice one
Wow - That's a beautiful knife!!! You are amazing! I love watching how you do this; and the skillful improvisation of tooling and creativity - a Master and his craft!
Thank you very much! Just learning over here, one knife at a time.
Her tür aletiniz var maşşallah kardeşim. Ellerinize sağlık hayran oldum. Emeklerinize sağlık kardeşim.
Teşekkür ederim!
Good job. Beautiful knives. Congratulations sent here from Brazil. Post more videos. 🔪🇧🇷
Thank you sir! I'll do my best!
Looks awesome man! I've learned a lot by watching your videos.
Thanks a million Adam! Glad you enjoy them!
Gave ya a subscribe just for being from Texas. haha Very nice work though, and nice to see, at least basically, how Damascus steel is made these days.
Awesome thank you! Cheers Byron
What a beautiful knife
Thank you!
Nice build and great looking end result :)
Thank you sir!
Great job good looking knife
Thanks Russell! Glad you like it!
Very nice knife bud keep up the great work !!!
Thank you very much Everett! Have a great weekend!
Great build! Of the non mosaic patterns, Feather is by far my favorite. For mosaics most of what Salem Straub is producing blows my mind....
He is amazing! I love his work for sure. I really need to get my hands on a hydraulic press... Have a great weekend
Felicidades amigo, excelente trabajo.
Saludos desde Ecatepec, México 🇲🇽
¡Gracias!
Excellent video, greetings from Argentina!!!
Thank you very much! Glad you liked it. Cheers from Texas!
That’s a beautiful knife!
Thank you!
How long did this build take?
I would have put one more checking file mark on the spine closer to the point. Being a small knife you then the lay your finger over the spine for more control.
Nice build well done. I’m glad you showed the mistakes and how you fixed them.
Glad you enjoyed it man. It's really hard to tell how long since it took me working on it intermittently multiple weekends. Probably 12-16 hours.
WOW Man , perfec agains, you are a inspiration
Thank you! Cheers!
Nice as always! Greetings from México 🇲🇽
Thanks Edgar! Cheers from Texas
Very nice work!!!
Thank you very much, sir! Have a great weekend!
Beautiful pattern.i like feather pattern damascus.
Thank you! I've heard feather is one of the hardest to make!
@@RedBeardOps ya you have to split the billet from centre and the again forge it together. Try it will be fun👍👍👍👍
love your videos man keep dong this great job, i have learned a lot from you!
Thank you very much Dan! Really happy you're enjoying them!
Finally Damascus
Man... It was a bear... A press would be nice! Thanks for the watch and comment, bro.
Red Beard Ops a press would be great
A late question from my side, just found your channel and am enjoying your vids a lot. You have a great voice btw. I was wondering about your respiratory protection, what is that and how does it work? Looks like some scubadiver stuff?
Hey Annikka, thanks! This is the respirator I use. It goes in and out of stock since the virus. Resp-O-Rator - amzn.to/2M6PMN7
Great for those of us with beards since it doesn't require a face seal.
That looks great.
Thank you Jason! Glad you like it.
I love your work
Thank you very much sir!
Evening from the UK mate. Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway you mentioned in the video about forging temp at the moment I do.stock.removal.but want to.give forging a go what colour is the metal at forging temp. Sorry for the essay 😅
Hey Matt, they have some references online with different colors and temps which are decent. (Type in "Metal Heat Chart Color") - Forge welding heats are around 1800-2000 F. I find it's a decent indicator to watch the flux... it gets very melted.
Legend thanks yet again for the help
Cool. Fun to watch.
Thank you very much! Glad you liked it!
Absolutely amazing. Great job....
Thank you very much!
great video . what is that powder that you add at 1:07 and what does it do
Hello sir. That is Borax (flux). It prevents oxygen from getting in between the layers and causing a delamination. At least that's what I understand it does.
That is one good looking 🔪.
Thank you very much sir! Glad you like it!
Excellent work.
Thank you! Cheers!
Your job is perfect
Thank you very much sir!
Very beautiful 🗡️
Thank you! Cheers!
Cool blade! So after normalising you cool the blade in water? Rather than letting it cool naturally?
Hey John, I cool the blade in water after each tempering cycle. This has no negative affect on the blade and speeds up the tempering process. (Normalizing is done in the forge and in that case you'll let the blade cool to room temp naturally or with a fan)
Red Beard Ops ah sorry, wasn’t paying attention! Thanks for the reply too, love your channel!
@@jfish4533 Cheers, sir
Great job! Was there no finish needed for the micarta or did I miss it?
Nope, i just sanded it up to 1000 grit. I'll sometimes take a rag and buff micarta with some car wax.
Pretty cool
Thank you sir!
Really nice work on the Blade, I also like how the micarta pops out on the spine side, is it canvas micarta?
Hey Dave, If I remember right it is canvas micarta! Cheers sir
Loved it. Has always I liked,shared. All my best.
Thank you!
very good high contrastt damaskus
Beautiful 👍👍👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Wow another beautiful piece of art. What would you sell a Damascus blade like that for.??
Thank you sir! I have no idea! I'm going to get a sheath together for this one... and likely put it on Instagram for sale eventually. I'm not sure the price.
Great video! This hand-forged Damascus is what I was looking for. Thank you for explaining all the steps you took.
Glad it was helpful!
I actually think this is one of the best knives I’ve seen you make, James. Really, I do.
I noticed that you hand-sanded dry most of the time. Was that for any particular reason?
Also, the green micarta ended up looking very camo, as did the blade.
Great job, man. If I made something half as nice, I’d be very happy.
All the best!
🇬🇧🤜⚡️🤛🇺🇸
Thank you very much sir! I really like the way this one turned out as well. I've hand sanded both dry and with Windex in the past. I do think the windex probably helps cutting longer to some degree... but I like not getting everything wet. I may go back to it. I've seen Nick Wheeler use oil.
Red Beard Ops
I’ve seen Windex for low grits and oil for high grits. I think both prevent clogging.
Either way, your blade turned out great! 👍
🇬🇧🤜⚡️🤛🇺🇸
Very nice knife! Thank you for all your explanations, very much appreciated!
May I ask a question: while making a damascus knife, how can I make sure that most of the layers will be visible at the end, should I grind the billet at an angle?
Get the layer count over 120 and you'll see the layers for sure!
Thanks a lot!
I have a question, I am very new to knife making and was wondering if it's possible to make a knife like the one used in this video that's Damascus and has a Hamon line in it? Your feedback would be awesome
Hi! Glad you're making some knives! I haven't tried a hamon line on a piece of damascus, but I imagine it could look kinda funky since the damascus above the hamon line would also be a lighter color.
Great looking knife. Where do you get the stencils for your maker mark?
Thanks! Cheers - www.tustech.com/
I have a question. What is this “dust” you put on the heated block before hammering
Flux (Borax)
Toss up between Feather, Raindrop and Mosaic patterns.
P.S. to save yourself a good bit of material (with knife making anyhow) you really should look into encapsulating your damascus billets in mild steel... I mean I know that Borax is pretty cheap, but no oxygen getting between the plates of 15N20 and 1080 = No forge scale. may not save much money and it adds a step, but it saves you a lot of time and you don't lose nearly as much material as if you were setting your welds/forging in open air.
Thanks for the tip sir! I've seen Kyle Royer doing this! Have a great day!
Very nice job.
Thank you! Cheers!
May I ask how many years of experience have u had in bladesmithing and how much has all of your tools and equipment costed
Hey man I was into this when I was in high school - Stopped over college - and got back into it about 3 years ago. Not sure on the tools... You kinda acquire them as you go. Start small and work you way up. Drill press should probably be #1, 2x72 is nice too
Thank you so much
I made two more knives with only an angle grinder challenge may I email them to you
Evening mate I have yet another question what flux do you use I have tried ebay and there are about 200,00 different powders, pastes and oils. I have the mild and HC steele ready to go 😆
Cheers sir, this is the stuff - amzn.to/2Y1aF2r
You my friend are an absolute legend
And quickly turning into my favourite youtuber/info provider 😆
Gator belt? Could you please explain what you use it for and where you get these? Thank you.
True-Grit sells them. I don't use them very much really. A lot of people like the gator belts thought. Also known as 3m trizact belts
@@RedBeardOps thank you!
your going to want to learn to use tongs for forging to shape. to start with a pair of wolf jaw tongs from Blacksmithdepot will work great. the reason for using tongs is you can better shape the handle as you can start with the handle away from your holding object makes it much easier to forge it out.
Thanks for the tip sir! I've been eyeing some wolf jaw tongs.
@@RedBeardOps your welcome. you also may want to get some 'blade' tongs if you start forging more.
Good work👍
Thank you sir! Have a great weekend!
Love your work. Wondering what make and model your mini mill is?
Hey man it's a Sieg X2D. I'll be doing a detailed review in the future I think. If you're going to buy one get it from little machine shop... they have the best version. LMS Sieg X2D Mini Mill - amzn.to/3AfpNtT
@@RedBeardOps Thank you for the info. Look forward to the episode on it. Have you ever considered converting it to CNC? I have a CNC wood router it is great but I can't do the metal matching like the mini mill, and I really don't need a big mill either. It has my interest perked.
@@noochmahh I haven't yet. I do like my mill though. Maybe a power feed and DRO in the future.
How many hours did it take you to finish it?
Gosh I didn't keep track but I'd bet about 15 hours of work. Cheers!
@@RedBeardOps thanks
Good job man can I ask how long was this process thanks for the inspiration
Hey Miguel, It's hard to say since it took me multiple weeekends. All in maybe 14-16 hours?