Question 1

What is Damascus?

Accepted Answer

Laminated steel, pattern welded steel, or best known as Damascus steel is a type of steel where we take two or more types of steel, typically one of those steels having a nickel content, and forge weld several alternating layers to produce a light and dark contrasting design.  There are ways to manipulate the process to get a desired pattern, or the layers can just be forged down to get a random pattern.  I typically use 1084 for the black steel and 15N20 for the silver steel.

Question 2

What is an integral knife?

Accepted Answer

The bolster of the knife is the front area of the handle that transitions into the blade, where your index finger and thumb hold the handle in a regular knife grip.  Many knife’s bolsters are made from the handle material, but some bolsters are shaped from the blade steel; we call these integral bolsters.  Integral bolsters are more difficult and time consuming, but they have an aesthetic that you can’t get from a typical bolster, and typically aid in a better balanced knife.

Question 3

What is the tang of the knife and the difference between hidden and full?

Accepted Answer

A tang is the part of the steel that into or between the handle.  The majority of tangs are one of two different styles; the hidden tag and the full tang.

Hidden tang: A hidden tang is completely surrounded by the handle material.  Think of the tang as a popsicle stick, and the handle as a popsicle.

Full Tang:  A full tang is shaped in the exact profile as the handle, and is sandwiched between two pieces of handle material.  The edges of the full tang are completely exposed between the two pieces of handle material, which are called handle scales.  This style tang can produce some great aesthetics when using Damascus steel.

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