Buying damask pocket knives? You will find the best selection here!

Where did damascus steel come from?

Originally, damascus steel was used to forge a good blade from a lower quality of steel. After all, back in the day luxury alloys didn't exist yet. Hundreds of years ago the foundation was laid in Damascus, located in Syria. It is where the forging of damask was mastered first. It is also how damascus steel got its name.

Today forging damask is something that is mainly done for aesthetic reasons. Different patterns and ingredients are used to end up with amazing results. Forging damascus steel is something that still requires a lot of manual labour. Two or more different types of steel are attached to each other after which they are heated in a forging fire. Afterwards it is a matter of hammering, heating, hammering, heating, until the different layers are welded together. The steel is then folded in half after which the process starts from the beginning. By manipulating the hot block of steel in different ways you create different patterns. As a result, no two blades will be exactly alike.

This amount of manual labour has also led to the fact that damascus steel is very expensive. Often up to 10 times more expensive per cm than normal knife steel. Add the fact that a lot of work also goes into finishing a damascus-steel blade such as polishing and etching and you will understand why an average pocket knife made from damascus steel is much more expensive than its 'regular' versions.

Types of damascus steel

There are a couple of major producers of damascus steel. The Swedish Damasteel for instance, produces the only high-grade damascus steel made from two types of powder steel. It is considered to be the best types of damascus steel on the market with the best sharpness retention. However, in the United States there is another producer who's making a name for himself: Chad Nichols is also known for his top-quality steel.

There is a difference between stainless and carbon damascus steel. Stainless damask is a lot harder to produce and process than carbon damask. That is also why the price of carbon damask is often a lot lower.

Why not check out our overview of all damascus knives.