July 5, 201213 yr Okay this is my try at Canned Damascus, and definitely not my last. I Cut it into 8 tiles and stack welded 4 tiles. The center 2 tiles were supposed to be oriented the other way but my excitement got ahead of my brain....the mistake looks pretty cool. There is a 56 layer twist being prepped and it will be welded along one length of this billet. That billet will be drawn out a bit and then split down the middle to make 2 knives. I will post progress pics. I have gained a lot of knowledge since I joined this site. Overwhelming help from a lot of great smith's with one in particular. You all know who I'm talking about. Too many people too name. Thanks to the whole bunch and especially, Rich Hale.
July 5, 201213 yr If I have the image in my head right of how you are doing this, this is going to turn out extremely cool, and the error is only going to make it better, IMHO. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
July 5, 201213 yr Author Do steam calculations count Woody! Haha! Thanks buddy. All done with info provided by IFI members and friends!
July 6, 201213 yr they do indeed mate! I will have to name my hammer 'the lone dragon' ! Cant wait to See this one in knife form..... Any ideas yet?
July 6, 201213 yr That billet looks SOLID! Congratulations on your successful first attempt at Canned Damascus . I am looking forward to viewing the blades you forge from this. Hopefully we'll get progress shots. I can visualize the twisted billet welded up to this, but seeing it is better! I've never attempted this. Could you briefly describe the steps you took to achieve this? Did you use the square tubing pictured, or is that just for reference? I was under the assumption that the outer casing was destroyed while extracting the billet. Did you use a press or hammer to stick the welds? This curious mind wants to know. = ) Robert
July 6, 201213 yr Author The square tubing pictured is what I used for the can. I filled it with steel filled the voids with powdered steel and the YES I hammered it out by hand. Things guys have said would be difficult to do make it even more rewarding when completed. Yes I will be posting progress pics. I will adding the twist to this billet tomorrow night so more pics will be up soon! Thanks for the encouraging words from all who posted! The Rousing helps big time!
July 6, 201213 yr You did that by hand!!! I know how many hours that took - excellent weld. Looking forward to seeing how the twist comes out.
July 6, 201213 yr Author With two strikers myself and my silent shop partner Tim, we had this baby at welding heat for about 3 hours and twice as many gallons of water! Thanks again for the compliments! It does fuel my inner forge LOL!
July 6, 201213 yr What materials did you use? For some reason I didn't expect layers from a can weld . I expected it to be pretty random actually. That's impressive! I look forward to seeing some progress pics as you continue on this project.
July 6, 201213 yr Ecart, my thoughts on random pattern welds,,,,,,,,they are horrible! When someone puts so much effort into a piece like this I feel it should be a predictable outcome. The pattern they envision should show up in the product. Random bits and pieces stuffed in a can and made into a glob does not ring my chimes at all. The same with billets made without a can.. with all of the prep work before the first weld, with all of the striking, cutting welding etc then final forming and just hoping that something may look alright With that investment a pattern can be developed that is outstanding. All of that said,,now and then I have seen a knife made that had no plan for its pattern and yet was striking in appearance. Life is like that I suppose.
July 6, 201213 yr Rich, I certainly see your point. I'd hate to put a whole lot of work into something just to have it unpleasant to the eye.
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