Hey guys so I haven't been on the forum in a while but had some question. I recently got a press and have been making some carbon Damascus but the end goal would be to do stainless and I know it will take some practice. So I had bought some AEB-L and 304 steel as that is what most of the stainless makers use. they are both in bar/sheet form. However looking at some of the patterns other Damascus makers are coming out with. A lot of it looks more like a canister Damascus. So with that one of those steels has to be powder right? Does anyone know where to get powdered aeb-l or 304..??? I looked and cant find it anywhere. If I am wrong on how this is done I am all ears if anyone would share. THANKS guys

Tagging along for info. 

I haven't done stainless (yet) but I don't know that it would have to be a canister WITH powder. I imagine you can have tight fitting strips of your varying steels sealed inside. This way the canister is to mainly keep out oxygen and thereby prevent oxides, like chrome, from forming and inhibiting the welding process.

 

These are my thoughts from LOTS of reading and research. I wish I could point you to my references, but I simply don't remember all the different places I had read this. 

After reviewing the knife chat log and the knife making class, I would ask Steve Sells about getting high chrome and high nickel stainless to stick, he can't forge weld everything, but the man can get some pretty amazing things to play well together. 

I know a fellow who makes mokume gane with the most uncompromising and incompatable metals imaginable. Both techniques are solid state welding, the approaches are actually very similar. 

Worth a thought?

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks guys AGAIN I haven't had time to come on and check the reposes until now I have been extremely busy with trying to turn this hobby into a full time buissness not there yet but deffinitly on the way....I have also had a bunch of family issues including a serious ingery to my 91 year old grandmother.....so the time I had to make knives I had to make ones that would bring in a little money and finally getting a bearing flipper folder to open not just good but great. So I haven't had to much time to play with the stainless idea much. I did make a new carbon billet and I think I am going to sandwich it between 2 pieces of stainless and mig weld all the way around to creat a tight seal and try to pull of a Damascus core and 304 stainless outside san mai...I figured that might be a step toward doing a billet out of all stainless. If any one has any tips on that I would love to hear.....Thanks again for all the responses guys