I was wondering if you can make Damascus steel from welding chain to some chrome bicycle rims? It's my understanding that chrome plating is made of Chromium? with this in turn make a stainless steel hybrid?

Weld up the chains forget any chrome plated stufff. its not a good idea..  IF you survive the process, also note that the plating is toxic, you will have a mess, you do  not add chrome to steels like that, you buy it with the chome content.  Even in the mills they cant just add chrome to a mix, its  a chome bearing compound they add, then remove the rest of the compound with the slag.  not sure of all the detials, I dont remember them.

What kind of chain are you talking about?  Heavy binder chain?  Roller chain?  Anchor chain?  It does make a difference.

Most of what i passed off as chromium is actually nickel but as Curmudgeon says they don't make stainless by throwing some Chromium into the smelter. 

Leave out the chrome and just use the chainsaw chain. There is plenty of carbon there for an edge and enough difference in alloys between side plates rollers etc, to give you a pattern.

 

Here's a link to atleast one method:......

I spend a real lot of time in preperation for welding up a billet.  Directly as a result of having had some failures in the early days related to incorrect materials and poor techniques. Now I have a pretty well laid out plan for a billet that I hope continues to have a high success rate.

I select steels i know will work well, not only together in welding,  but correct for the use when finished,  and for me that is knife blades.

 

A favorite high carbon steel match up is 1084 and 15N20 steels.  The latter one has some nickel in it and makes the bright parts of the steel when etched.   They do weld easy for anyone that has forge welding down well enough to assure they have it everytime. Each of these steels have enough carbon content that if used alone they make a nice blade.  Of course depending on heat treat.  And that is one more thing to assess when youi are planning a selection for a billet. They need to have similiar heat treat needs. I avoid using an air hardening steel with a oil or water hardened one.

 

in the knife making lessons section in the part laveled 200 series,  there is a section about pattern welding.   There is also a supplier list so you can find materials. I order the steels new and they arrive in a day or so. Cost is reasonable if you consider wot it takes to drive around and find, buy, scrounge etc. And you know just wot you are getting and not guessing if it will even work for wot you wish to make.

If you are intent on using the chainsaw chain you could box it in with fine metal shavings or powdered metals; high nickel or just plain high carbon woks nicely. Google "canned damascus". Read the safety procedures for sure. Mainly about venting the can!

just to skim some of the mud from the waters, the OP did not specify ANY type of chain as NJ already pointed out.  Bike chain probably got implied because of the bike rims, but theres nothing to imply chainsaw chain anywhere :blink:

 

I cant add anything to the metallurgical discussion, but thought id try and help steer those that can back in the right direction.

Chinobi,

 

The title of the thread includes Chainsaw chains.  So it sounds like the OP was planning to weld chainsaw chain to bike rims in the hopes of gaining stainless properties from the rim plating.

Yeah, it was the title that gave me my clue ;)

foot, meet mouth. mouth, foot.  now play nicely! :wacko:

 

my apologies, some part of me knew that was going to happen <_<

Somethin not mentioned yet,,,for anyone new to this forge welding billets:
Welding chainsaw chain is not a starting point in learning. It can for sure be done, and in some cases maybe as a first project. but there is a high likelyhood of failure. Couple of ways: tack weld it at many points with electric welder so it is not like tapping on a moving snake,,,or as above welding in a can..and maybe with addition of some powdered metals..filling the can with high carbon powder may actually be a little easier. but welding the can takes a trained eye to make sure of thorough heat before forging. using powdered nickel about the same. except that may overload the final product with non carbon material that may actually prevent it from hardening well if used for a cutting blade. Simple to do the math and figure this out in advance.But then again that is not usually done as a starting point in billet making.

It might be a better idea to put a piece of steel in the.middle with chainsaw pieces welded on each side. Think balogna sandwich. 5160 bologna and chainsaw chains bread. That could give you a sharpenable core metal and a cool chain pattern.