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Damascus steel:is this too small for a knife?


SRT02

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I have a piece of Damascus steel, I am thinking of making it into a knife. Just a small knife.
I like the pattern and I think it could work. But I'm still questioning if it's fine or too small.
It is 5" long and about a half inch wide. It's pretty thin as well, about a 8th of an inch.

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I wouldnt think so. I don't think you'll get a sword out of it ...... LOL. But, if you were to weld a tang onto it, you would be able to make a nice little three finger knife with it. Weld on a tang and do a hidden tang design. It's worth a shot anyway. If you don't try, it will never be anything but a scrap of metal.

Mutt

Edited by Muttt
nasty spelling
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Hold on..it's way too small...you need to send it to me...way beyond ANYONE ELSE's skills here to make ANYTHING of vaule..other than me...

OK Humor off...

the simple answer is YES..there is a whole lot you can make..if you think it out before you do anything regardless whether you forge it out or grind it out..formulate a plan...

JPH

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I agree with everyone else. I would form plan (per JPH) and then have part of that plan to be a stub tang just behind ricasso and solder, braze, maybe even forge weld a mild steel tang so that you have a complete "stick tang" that is almost all some other material. That way, you can forge that to shape and grind it clean and have a substantial blade for something like a "bird and trout" or small hunter.

or hideaway type dagger, or small paring knife, or edc friction folder, or a sgian dubh, or...or... or.... or...

you get it - have fun!

Kevin

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Here is the knife after I worked on it. So far, I think it is coming pretty good.
The handle is walnut, and it may seem kind of wierd looking since the handle is bigger than the blade but it is actually VERY comfortable in my hand.
I heated the tang and and burned it into the knife. (I simply drilled a hole to start that).
All and all, I would have to say not bad for my third knife.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I made a miniture hunting knife out of a piece of cable demascus, looks pretty cool with an elk antler handle. It's more the size of a paring knife but it looks pretty cool.
I remember in Wayne Goddards book "The Wonder of Knifemaking" there are some pictures of knives he made next to a dime so you could see just how small they were. So the short answer is no. Go for it.
Joe

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  • 2 months later...

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