I haven't started the blade yet, I'm going to try cable Damascus for the guard and pommel. This is my first Damascus billet so I want to do a blade and a ring from it.

16 layers twisted then folded and drawn out. 8 layers of band saw blade and 8 layers of flat spring from a hose reel.

Clean looking first attempt.
I like your organized forge setup too! A place for everything and . . .

II know it isn't a knife but they're a set so here is the ring. I'll forge the blade later this week. 

very nice!

how did you size it? Ring mandrel?

I just measured my wedding band and used a large punch, then finish ground to 13/16.

Nice job.

thank you

 

Well here is the start of the blade after forging and a little grinding. There was a spot while drawing out the tang that the welds broke loose so I rewelded and finished shaping the blade. 

Nice ring TJ. Piece of advice, get a fish tank bubbler for your ferric.

What does the bubbler do, thank you

Aerates the ferric acid 

seems to make it work better 

ferric acid is also used to clean up profile cut pieces and is reported to work better when aerated 

I suppose it moves the liquid around 

makes sense

Agitation of the acid makes it work a little faster and etch more evenly in the shortened time. The fish bubbler is just an inexpensive way to get the acid agitated. You could accomplish the same thing with a submersible vibration device. Anything that gets the acid moving around will work. A fish tank aerator only costs $6-$12 through Amazon. Cut off a 3/4" square scrap piece of nickel-silver and drill a 1/4 inch hole in it. Force the hose through the hole so it acts like a weight and brings the hose down below the blade in the acid tank.

BTW, that's a nice little forge you've got there TJ. What are you burning in it? Looks like charcoal (or is that the coal bin on the left?) and it reminds me of NYC in the winter when these guys sell roasted chestnuts on the street. They have these carts that have a charcoal fire going and they are roasting the chestnuts right there. Anyway, it's still a pretty nice set up you've got.

It's coal, I haven't found a source near me for charcoal other than lump coal for grilling. Coal is the cheapest route for now but I'm working on the gas forge.

That ring is an awesome idea. I just got my hands on a pile of damascus i think i will need to look into how to make one of those for myself. Thanks for the idea.

here is the blade so far, still some hand sanding to do before heat treat.

Nice looking blade.  It going to have a great pattern.

Well the blade is ready for ht but I found a small crack at the start of the tang. I'm debating whether or not I should finish it or put it with the other shiny patterns. I etched and buffed so you guys could see the pattern better. What do you guys think should I finish it or just start over.

That's a beautiful pattern!  Wish I had more experience to be able to offer solutions.  Best I can suggest, is maybe differential hardening to keep as much stress off the tang as possible.  Whatever you do with that hunk of steel though, it would be a shame to not wind up with something to show off. Even if its practical use was limited, it would, at least, look awesome sitting on a shelf.  Your ring came out awesome, by the way. 

Ship it to me right now and I will dispose of it for you...

If it were mine I would heat treat it and if it held together, because it is a hidden tang knife, I would make myself a small flat sleeve to fit tightly over the tang.  Secure it in place like a splint on a broken bone and finish your handle out so that the splint will not be visible.  Because it is internally flawed I would keep it for my own use in case it did break one day.  I know there will be better advice offered up by way more experienced people but this is what I would attempt rather than let it sit.   

This one if for me, it started as a show off piece more or less. I don't think the crack will hurt anything as far as normal use goes but as the same time I know its there. Since this is my first time pattern welding I'm trying not to kick myself to much but I can be pretty critical of myself. I guess more than anything I'm struggling to make up my mind on whether or not to keep it.

Keep it.  You will look back in years and see how you have progressed.  I still have the first bow I ever made.  It took 1.75 inches of set and it does not shoot that great but I still like to shoot it once in a while even though I have made vastly better.

nice work! I couldn't see the crack, but if you are structurally concerned, I would tig it, anneal, and regrind the tang a little deeper into the ricasso. then HT. All strong and hidden away.