Damascus steel is the most popular metals used for weapons in the pre-industrial era. Its manufacturing requires a secret carburization process which is bringing wrought iron to red heat while keeping in contact with various carbonaceous materials. This results in an iron-carbon alloy which is characterized by exceptional hardness and by an appearance which showed watered streaked complex patterns. These patterns are used to judge the quality of the steel.
In the DIY project done by the YouTube channel Black Beard Projects, the host has hand forged his own Damascus steel tools and the process is mesmerizing. The video description states, “This project started very easily preparing the billet, but as soon as I started hammering on it, I realized it was going to be a real challenge. Tool steel is very hard to move!”
The host performed various steps to achieve the outcome finally, and the knife-like tool he created is impressive to look at and also works like a charm. The process was not without obstacles. The description further stated, “While forging I was able to spot a crack in one side and some cold spots on the top and bottom of the steel. To get rid of both I ended up grinding a lot of material away, and that’s made the final product much shorter and thinner than I anticipated. I even had to leave a hairline fracture on the spine because the material was getting too small.” Watch the video below to see the mesmerizing work of creating the Damascus steel tool.
