Damascus or Acid Etched Steel

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mawla01

Joined
Sep 24, 2010
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I just ordered this knife from a custom maker but I want to change the blade with a damascus Blade. So it's a Deal. When the knife received I doubt that this is real Damascus. So I asked my fellow knifenuts, they told me it is not a damascus. when I touch the blade surface the texture is so obvious.

Can Anyone tell me from this single picture, Is this Damascus or Acid Etched Steel? JUst Curious. Thanks

 
That is an acid etched blade. Its very easy to see that. They probably used a vinyl sticker or a liquid glue and stencil to create the pattern and then etched it chemically. After the insanely deep etch they polished it slightly. Either way real damscus should have contrasting bands of light and dark lines. There are some damascus blades that are polished and dont have contrast but this isnt it. Which custom maker sold this to you as a genuine damascus blade?
 
the best way to know is to focus on the areas where the grind lines are. You can see the pattern is laid over these grinds and there is no change in width of the pattern from one grind to the next. The pattern in damascus goes all the way through. And one of its interesting qualities is how the pattern much like figured wood will change as you cut into it and expose the changes in that pattern as it progresses through the steel. At the grind transitions you should see some kind of change in the width of the pattern. On the knife above the pattern looks as if it was a sticker laid over the blade as none of these changes occur.
 
DAVE_M said:
That's definitely not damascus steel.
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PURPLEDC said:
That is an acid etched blade. Its very easy to see that. They probably used a vinyl sticker or a liquid glue and stencil to create the pattern and then etched it chemically. After the insanely deep etch they polished it slightly. Either way real damscus should have contrasting bands of light and dark lines. There are some damascus blades that are polished and dont have contrast but this isnt it. Which custom maker sold this to you as a genuine damascus blade?
Click to expand...

yes that's what me and My friend thought, BUt When I want to know the maker answer, He wrote:
It is damascus. W1 and 15n20. Damascus must be etched to show the pattern, otherwise it would look polished with a barely discernible pattern. Etching basically darkens and eats away the steel with less Chromium/ nickel which in this case is W1. This gives a bit of topography which can be left darkened, like yours, or buffed and polished which will still show the etched pattern but be a much "brighter" finish.
 
I think its acid etched damascus like the maker said it is. There are many many types of damascus and this is just one of hundreds of pattern you can end up with. Looks real to me.
 
Looks fairly genuine to me but don't quote me on that.

I'd have to examine it in person to make sure
 
PURPLEDC said:
the best way to know is to focus on the areas where the grind lines are. You can see the pattern is laid over these grinds and there is no change in width of the pattern from one grind to the next.
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Nailed it. Not damascus, despite what the maker told you.
 
Im not a Damascus expert by any means, but your pic looks different than other Damascus blades I've seen. For an example here's a pic of Devin Thomas Damascus in a small Sebenza. It looks different than your knife.

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I personally think the maker is either lying or he has his blades made by someone else and doesnt really know. The pattern simply stays too perfect at the grind transitions. Usually the pattern will widen or narrow dramatically at that point especially with deep grinds that get continuously deeper as you get to the edge. The pattern stays very consistent even as the hollow grind tapers to the edge. To me it looks like a pattern etching. Where some type of adhesive or paint that resists acid is applied to the blade and then the blade is etched to create a pattern. To me it looks very suspect. It is either not real damascus or it is the most consistent pattern of any damascus I have ever seen. If you are brave you can prove its authenticity with a bottle of PCB etching solution. If you dip the front half of the blade in the only part that should darken would be the low spots. The raised portions of the steel would stay the same. If both the peaks and valleys darken and look to be one color then you know it to be BS.
 
Yes, the patterns and feels is just not similar with other damascus blade I have. Maybe its just different steel and treatment. Different type of damascus.
 
Is this a Rick Barrett knife? The reason I ask is because it looks a lot like something he would do.
 
mawla01 said:
Yes, the patterns and feels is just not similar with other damascus blade I have. Maybe its just different steel and treatment. Different type of damascus.
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Its pretty clear you believe or want to believe its damascus despite what many have said. Feel free, but ignoring opinions that you have asked for seems poor form. :grumpy:
 
I think I know who the maker is and all I can say is that if that is not real damascus there would be a lot of people really P-ed off dropping 2K on a knife and some questions would have been asked long ago.

It can be damascus. Not a 200+ layer type of damascus.

At a certain point the makers reputation also comes into play.
 
Why don’t you make a test with some drops of ferric chloride to see if it is a real Damascus or not?
 
The issue I have here in identifying if it is real damascus is because the finish he chose to do actually hides much of the contrast that shows a blade to be real damascus. The pattern itself is suspect but what further obscures it is the choice of finish and the super super deep etch. If this is the maker I think it is he works both with real damascus and super deep etches. And the effect we are seeing above can be had on ANY steel blade if the etch is done properly. So my question is if this is real genuine layered steel then why would the maker do so much to hide that fact. The ridiculously deep etch then to polish off the darkened areas so that you are left with more of a texture than a contrasting pattern? Put it this way if this was found on a chinese knife no one including me would believe it to be real damascus.
 
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