Damascus & Stag Boot Knife = "Executive Letter Opener"

[Old No7]

I love stag handles or grips... And I love Damascus steel too...

Put them together with some brass into a Boot Knife shape -- and yup, I bought it!

So far, this is only serving as an "Executive Letter Opener" at my desk as there's no way to know what stresses the blade will handle.

But for < $50 delivered, I'm happy with this no-name ebay purchase.

Now I'm just hoping for more mail!!! (And fewer bills...)

Old No7

Damasc-Stag Boot 01.jpg

Damasc-Stag Boot 02.jpg

[arclight]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting that.

[JimT]

You can never have too many good knives, good guns or good pairs of boots!

[RIHMFIRE]

THAT IS AWESOME

[Bill in Oregon]

As I sit here at Portland International waiting to depart for Dallas, I can imagine myself forgetting I had that beauty tucked into one of my Ariats as I step through the metal detector…
Nice job!

[piller]

Pretty raindrop pattern on it.

[Pitchy]

Real nice

[2ndovc]

That's cool! I really like Damascus blades, especially daggers!

jb

[Grizz]

that's a beauty.

[Ysabel Kid]

Wow, that is stunning. What a great combination!

[Gobblerforge]

Pretty raindrop pattern on it.

Rain drop pattern? Can you explain? I've never seen or heard of that.

[lthardman]

I can't think of a better combination in a knife than genuine Stag handles and Damascus Steel blade(s). The one combination that gets close is Mammoth Ivory handles and Damascus Steel blades.

I have been a knife collector for decades. I own more than I ever want my wife to know. And she does know I have a lot.

For what its worth, I would not call the knife in the opening post Raindrop Damascus. It is beautiful, but not what I call Raindrop Damascus. Below is a picture of two of my W. R. Case & Sons Stag handled Damascus bladed "Canoes." One has regular random Damascus blades, and one has Raindrop Damascus blades. In each picture, the Raindrop Damascus is shown underneath the random Damascus knife. Raindrop Damascus looks like a puddle during a light rain storm,. Note the 'ripples.'

By the way, Damascus Steel will rust! At least traditional Damascus will. Best to keep a coating of oil (mineral oil will do) on it. Or keep it regularly waxed with something like Renaissance Wax. In the least, make sure it is wiped down after each use or after touching the blade. Fingerprints can be forever. There are some newer grades of Damascus made with Stainless Steel, however.

[Griff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyzOWR5X3zc

[horsesoldier03]

Those are made to be used for POKING, and looks like it will work. Just keep a good tip on it!

[CowboyTutt]

While I hate to use the word "canoe" in case Grizz is around, and sends him on an esoteric journey of many moons, those are very beautiful "canoes" Sir. Damascus has become so much easier to get it seems. You can buy it in pre-made bars and leave it to the knife maker for forging and final shaping.

I use food grade white mineral oil as my "go to" for my knife/sword/axe collection, including the wood. It does everything well. Or a good R wax as you said. -Tutt

[Streetstar]

Those are made to be used for POKING, and looks like it will work. Just keep a good tip on it!

yep --
that knife is made for things we hope we never experience - its probably strong enough -- look at the construction of the Fairbairn-Sykes commando dagger

[Grizz]

in actual strength testing, is damascus as strong as, stronger than, or weaker than a single steel blade of the same size, shape, and heat treatment?

you see 5160 choppers routinely doing heavy duty cutting chores, cabin building for example. how would a damascus blade compare?

i am interested in laminated blades, san mai for one, and the 5 layer version, as future projects. scandi san mai is called laminated by swedes. i have some mora knives that i use as cutting tools, like box knives, and whittling a canoe paddle for Tutt, I mean my grandson. actual working tools. splitting firewood, etc. I don't see wood working or bush craft knives with hundreds of layers if itty bitty thin layups. makes me wonder. if damascus is great how come it isn't carving large swathes of the markets for the prepper, survivalist, hiker, bush crafter markets?

[piller]

I can't think of a better combination in a knife than genuine Stag handles and Damascus Steel blade(s). The one combination that gets close is Mammoth Ivory handles and Damascus Steel blades.

I have been a knife collector for decades. I own more than I ever want my wife to know. And she does know I have a lot.

For what its worth, I would not call the knife in the opening post Raindrop Damascus. It is beautiful, but not what I call Raindrop Damascus. Below is a picture of two of my W. R. Case & Sons Stag handled Damascus bladed "Canoes." One has regular random Damascus blades, and one has Raindrop Damascus blades. In each picture, the Raindrop Damascus is shown underneath the random Damascus knife. Raindrop Damascus looks like a puddle during a light rain storm,. Note the 'ripples.'

By the way, Damascus Steel will rust! At least traditional Damascus will. Best to keep a coating of oil (mineral oil will do) on it. Or keep it regularly waxed with something like Renaissance Wax. In the least, make sure it is wiped down after each use or after touching the blade. Fingerprints can be forever. There are some newer grades of Damascus made with Stainless Steel, however.

That is a very busy raindrop pattern. Raindrop can be a few or a bunch of round spots. The random and the maidens hair patterns are most familiar to people.

[lthardman]

Grizz, there is not a real good answer to your question on the strength of Damascus Steel vs a "single steel" blade. And that very question has been asked a lot.

Not all grades of Damascus are made equally. And not all high carbon steels are made equally either.

Some Damascus is made more for looks than performance. And some supposedly "high carbon" steel is made more for economy than performance. In times past, Damascus Steel gave blade manufacturers a way to come up with a previously unachievable balance of properties - for example the ability to hold an edge AND the ability to sharpen the blade to restore the edge. But then advances in modern steel formulations and heat treating made mono layer high carbon steel more high performance.

"TRUE" Damascus Steel is usually more expensive than what you call single layer steel. But to know whether it would perform better in a given application, one would need to know 1) what the application is, 2) the specific formulation and tempering of the Damascus Steel, and 3) the specific formulation and tempering of the mono layer steel.

I'm not answering your question at all. Sorry. Maybe this will help: In most applications where Damascus Steel is being used today, it was chosen for its aesthetics - how it looks. As a knife collector, I love the look of my Damascus Steel bladed knives. But as a knife user, I will always choose a knife blade made with "single layer" steel like ATS-34, BG-42, 154CM, or even the stainless (stains less - no steel is corrosion proof) S35VN steel.

[Tycer]

But as a knife user, I will always choose a knife blade made with "single layer" steel like ATS-34, BG-42, 154CM, or even the stainless (stains less - no steel is corrosion proof) S35VN steel.

I’ve used a lot of steels. I always seem to love a well tempered 154CM for a great balance of hard work and easy sharpening.

[CowboyTutt]

I'm not answering your question at all. Sorry. Maybe this will help: In most applications where Damascus Steel is being used today, it was chosen for its aesthetics - how it looks. As a knife collector, I love the look of my Damascus Steel bladed knives. But as a knife user, I will always choose a knife blade made with "single layer" steel like ATS-34, BG-42, 154CM, or even the stainless (stains less - no steel is corrosion proof) S35VN steel.

I think that statement sums it quiet nicely, Damascus is no match for our modern monolithic steels at all, but in its day, it was one of the best steels available. Now it is much more appreciated for its appearance than its steel properties as Ithardman said. It is high maintenance but nice steel nonetheless.

-Tutt

[piller]

There are some really good types of steel around. Yes, most single steel knives are good anymore. In my pocket at any time, you can find D2 and 14C28N blades. I sometimes have a 1.4116 blade, or an N360 blade. My favorite pattern welded steel is the Jacobs ladder pattern .

[Old No7]

I'm not answering your question at all. Sorry. Maybe this will help: In most applications where Damascus Steel is being used today, it was chosen for its aesthetics - how it looks. As a knife collector, I love the look of my Damascus Steel bladed knives. But as a knife user, I will always choose a knife blade made with "single layer" steel like ATS-34, BG-42, 154CM, or even the stainless (stains less - no steel is corrosion proof) S35VN steel.

I think that statement sums it quiet nicely, Damascus is no match for our modern monolithic steels at all, but in its day, it was one of the best steels available. Now it is much more appreciated for its appearance than its steel properties as Ithardman said. It is high maintenance but nice steel nonetheless.
-Tutt

And that sums up why I'm using this Damascus boot knife at my desk!

I just keep wishing for more checks and fewer bills...

Old No7

[Grizz]

my question about damascus strength comes from watching forged in fire where ridiculous things are done to knives as a "strength test". like hammering the blade against steel cleats, or bands on casks, etc.

something no sane individual would do to their knife. BIG BUT, there are some damascus blades that are created, shaped, heat treated, and tempered, that stands up to the abuse. i can't tell if it is a t.v. trick, or if in fact those blades actually do have exceptional qualities.

the remarkable thing to me is that the heat treating specifics for 52100, ball bearing material, cannot likely be achieved in a forge, with the exceptions being the ones made for t.v. and heat treated in the gas forge, that pass all the destruction testing.

i have some 52100 projects that i will send out for professional by-the-numbers heat treating that will come back with a certified hardness.

jim bowie's bowies were forged by the same blacksmith who repaired the iron tires on wagon wheels, made the farm tools, the axes and shovels and rakes and pitchforks, and the kitchen utensils and cook pots and candle holders, and made horse shoes and shod horses, etc. the guy who made bowie's bowie knife may actually have made a laminated blade the way an axe bit is inserted into a mild steel axe head.

i do not know what "monosteel" was available in that time frame, but a skilled smith can use a coal fire and bellows to manipulate the heat, the quench, and the tempering so that there are three zones of hardness, without an electric furnace or salt bath or acetylene torch or cryo treatment. he would have done it all by eye and may have had an edge that could be sharpened with a file, or an edge harder than a file. that's the part that fascinates me. that guy would have had a regional reputation for the quality of his work. As in, "you want a tool that won't crack chip or roll its edge? Go see Joe".

I wish that guy could get a spot on forged in fire !

I agree with everyone that damascus is beautiful to look at. I might buy a billet just to polish and use for a paper weight.

[piller]

Frank Richtig is the fellow in Ripley's believe it or not who had the knives which could be pounded through buggy axles without damage. He quenched, then soaked in molten lead for 24 hours. His knives were only about 53 or 54 on the Rokwell C scale of hardness. They had a reputation for being indestructible. He used something like 1085 carbon steel. Not sure if that is exactly the steel, but it was just carbon steel.

[CowboyTutt]

1095 maybe? -Tutt

[lthardman]

I have seen some good knife blades made with 1095 steel. And good cannon barrels.

[piller]

I am not sure of how much carbon, but the long soak at around 630 to 680 degrees or more, allowed for carbon migration and bainite formation. Bainite is not commonly found in knife steel due to it taking more time than martensite to form. Bainite gets the best properties of pearlite and martensite from carbon steel. It is more flexible than martensite, but holds an edge with the best martensite, and has almost the flexibility of pearlite. Richtig's knives are the stuff that legends are told around.