A Bit of History on Damascus Steel Knives

 Damascus Patterned Swords and knives, is said to be originated in Syria.  The raw material that the swords and knives were made from is called Wootz steel, and came from India and Sri Lanka around 300 BC.  Wootz ore was made from iron ore that was melted and the impurities burned away. Then Carbon and other materials were then added.  This produced a steel could be made harder than that of European steel at the time. It was then transported to the mid east and made into swords and knives by folding alternating layers of steel and iron, twisting the metal and folding it again and again during the process of forging. This produced a Sword that was very strong and beautiful. While it was strong, it also rusted. This is because of the high carbon content in the steel

Modern Damascus Steel Kitchen Knives are made considerably different, as the original process has been lost. Some say it was because the iron ore was depleted from the sources where it was mined. Because of the depletion of the ore, the forgers had to use other ore that did not produce the same effect. Though there are plenty of instances of Pattern welding (alternating layers of steel and iron) that produced similar results in other cultures.

Today’s modern knives are made in the ancient Damascus style, But use the Bessemer process, exact control of the amount of carbon in a steel blank. Then again folded and twisted to create the beautiful patterns on the knife. There are two completely different Damascus style knives being made today. The first is that of the artist forger and it is closer to the original method of making Damascus knives, hand forging and hammering.  Some of the incredibly talented forgers such as Kyle Royer are making knives that are beautiful, functional and really are collector items. These knives can take weeks or even months for the artist to complete. The second Damascus style knives are made commercially and are Damascus patterned on the blades. At the core of some of the best knives are steel alloys such as VG 10, then the softer “Damascus” high carbon steel is pattern welded onto it. This produces an extremely sharp knife that will stay sharp for a long time with care as to its use. With modern metallurgy the rusting problem has been most solved. Any steel, high carbon or not, can discolor if improperly handled.