Color Case Hardening Damascus

[mete]

Here's a metallurgist's comment !
Damascus [ more properly called 'pattern welded' ]is a mixture of two or more steels welded together . Many interesting patterns can be created such as a logo on a blade. While true stainless pattern welded blades are made they are difficult to do and rare. There are 'Damascus' stainless steel blades but they are made from alternating types of stainless powders compacted together.
I have a rolling block repro rifle case hardened by Turnbull , it is gorgeous !!! Color case hardening is a very difficult job requiring much experience and is used as decoration rather than hardening.

 

[ketland]

Actually, true Damascus steel in not folded and welded, rather true damascus steel as invented in india, was smelted as an ingot, and worked from the ingot. What most people think of as damascus steel is actually and correctly termed "pattern welded" steel, and is made from a process of stacking two or more different types of steel, or wrought iron, then forge welded, and manipulated in different ways to give different patterns. It can be folded, twisted, drilled, filed, and manipulated in any number of ways prior to the series of welds, to give it various patterns. The purpose of acid etching is to eat away at the differing steels and thus reveal the pattern of the layers, and this is separate from color treating, or hardening.
Another name for true damascus steel is "Wootz steel" here is a little article about using wootz to make a blade. http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/pat05.html