Damascus Steel Introduction

Damascus - the ancient art of folding iron to make steel, with delicate watermarks like woodgrain. This is a one day introductory course, suitable to beginners, where you will make your own 100 layered billet that you keep for use in future projects.

This course goes great with our other knifemaking courses. Make a billet of Damascus steel and bring it along to one of our Japanese Knifemaking, Kamisori - Japanese razors, or Knifemaking courses.

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After an introduction to metallurgy and theory of pattern making, you will begin forge welding a 15 layer billet of 1075 and 15N20 steel, using our hydraulic press. Once fused into a single block and drawn out, it will be cut into 3 pieces, restacked and welded into a 45 layer billet.  This is repeated giving a 135 layer billet.

The billet will then be cut in half and a different pattern worked into each piece before drawing out the billets to their final shape. They are then ground flat and acid etched to reveal the patterning.

It is not necessary to have previous experience in forging for this course.  You will get to use a range of tools and techniques in making your billet.

There is a limit of only four places per course.

The course goes for one day from 8am until 5pm.

Cost includes: Tuition, insurance, materials, use of tools, workshop consumables, safety gear.
Need to bring: Lunch, appropriate clothing and covered footwear
Booking in advance is essential

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