Bladesmith
Made in the USA
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- MEET THE BLADESMITH
- DISCOVER WHAT IS PATTERN WELDED (MODERN DAMASCUS) STEEL
- LEARN THE BENEFITS OF HIGH CARBON STEEL BLADES
- MEET THE BLADESMITH
- DISCOVER WHAT IS PATTERN WELDED (MODERN DAMASCUS) STEEL
- LEARN THE BENEFITS OF HIGH CARBON STEEL BLADES
Meet The Bladesmith -
Welcome to Dees Forge. Every component of each knife is fully handcrafted by me, Jim Dees. My interest in knife making is a natural extension of my lifelong passion for martial arts. My time is now spent honing and refining these two arts.
I use quality high carbon steel and forge every blade by hand, one at a time at my forge in Oracle Arizona USA. I am inspired by traditional blade smithing methods that have been used throughout history. Some blades I forge from a single piece of high carbon steel. These blades will not have a surface pattern. Other blades I craft are pattern welded (damascus) and are made by combining and forging more than one type of high carbon steel together. The pattern welded blade patterns are made by layering, folding, and sometimes twisting and other manipulations of the steel during forging, creating blades that are unique with no two knives looking the same. Handle materials are either natural wood, horn, or antler, or hand made resin/epoxy composites or laminates. The result is beautiful one-off functional art pieces that are a pleasure to use, hold a sharp edge, and will last a lifetime when well cared for.
Here is a simplified rundown of my process for forging a modern damascus knife from start to finish:
I use quality high carbon steel and forge every blade by hand, one at a time at my forge in Oracle Arizona USA. I am inspired by traditional blade smithing methods that have been used throughout history. Some blades I forge from a single piece of high carbon steel. These blades will not have a surface pattern. Other blades I craft are pattern welded (damascus) and are made by combining and forging more than one type of high carbon steel together. The pattern welded blade patterns are made by layering, folding, and sometimes twisting and other manipulations of the steel during forging, creating blades that are unique with no two knives looking the same. Handle materials are either natural wood, horn, or antler, or hand made resin/epoxy composites or laminates. The result is beautiful one-off functional art pieces that are a pleasure to use, hold a sharp edge, and will last a lifetime when well cared for.
Here is a simplified rundown of my process for forging a modern damascus knife from start to finish:
- Make the steel billet (by layering or other methods).
- Forge the billet into a solid homogeneous bar by heating the metal and either hand hammering or pressing in a hydraulic press.
- Design and shape the blade by hand hammering (forging).
- Anneal the blade by heating to critical and let it super slow cool to release the stress in the steel created from forging.
- Refine the shape of the blade further on a belt grinder and with hand files and sand paper. Decorative file work on the handle spine (on some knives). Drill holes for handle scales.
- Normalizing cycles (two to three) by heating to critical temp. and let undisturbed air cool to relieve stress.
- Quench to harden the steel. Heat to critical and quench in proper quenching medium for the type of steel used.
- Temper to industry standards in a tempering oven to relieve stress and make the blade more flexible and less brittle caused by the quenching process.
- Final blade finish sanding (and etch if the blade is damascus).
- Fabricate and assemble handle material and whatever fittings will be included for the blade (guard, bolster, pommel, butt cap, mosaic pins etc.)
- Hand craft the protective leather sheath.
- Final sharpening of the blade edge.
What is Pattern Welded (Damascus) Steel?
True “Damascus” steel is a very specific type of crucible steel called Wootz and it comes primarily from India. In recent decades (since the 1970's) the term Damascus steel has come to mean pattern welded steel, also called "Modern Damascus". Quality pattern welded steel is the result of combining at least two different types of high carbon steel that contain differing nickle contents that harden and temper in the same temperature range but react differently to acid etching. This process is used to achieve a desired effect and pattern which is revealed on the surface of the blade after acid etching. Pattern welding is a complex and time consuming fabrication process and requires highly developed skills and knowledge, as well as an artistic eye to achieve the desired results.
True “Damascus” steel is a very specific type of crucible steel called Wootz and it comes primarily from India. In recent decades (since the 1970's) the term Damascus steel has come to mean pattern welded steel, also called "Modern Damascus". Quality pattern welded steel is the result of combining at least two different types of high carbon steel that contain differing nickle contents that harden and temper in the same temperature range but react differently to acid etching. This process is used to achieve a desired effect and pattern which is revealed on the surface of the blade after acid etching. Pattern welding is a complex and time consuming fabrication process and requires highly developed skills and knowledge, as well as an artistic eye to achieve the desired results.
The Benefits of High Carbon Steel Blades -
There are many benefits to having a high carbon steel knife blade. High carbon steel blades have the ability to be sharpened to an extremely sharp edge and they have better edge retention than lesser quality steels. Stunningly beautiful and functional knives can be created with high carbon steels when used in layered Damascus, or to create a hamon, or San Mai. Ceramic knives hold an edge well but they are fragile, chip easily, and will shatter if dropped. High carbon steel knives are not only favored by professional chefs and everyday cooks, but they are also used by outdoors people such as hunters, fishermen, campers, people who like to carry every day knives, and collectors of fine knives. Quite frankly anyone who uses any type of knife will benefit from choosing a hand forged high carbon steel blade. High carbon steel knives require careful care to prevent them from rusting, but that is a small price to pay for a beautiful work of functional art that will last a lifetime.
There are many benefits to having a high carbon steel knife blade. High carbon steel blades have the ability to be sharpened to an extremely sharp edge and they have better edge retention than lesser quality steels. Stunningly beautiful and functional knives can be created with high carbon steels when used in layered Damascus, or to create a hamon, or San Mai. Ceramic knives hold an edge well but they are fragile, chip easily, and will shatter if dropped. High carbon steel knives are not only favored by professional chefs and everyday cooks, but they are also used by outdoors people such as hunters, fishermen, campers, people who like to carry every day knives, and collectors of fine knives. Quite frankly anyone who uses any type of knife will benefit from choosing a hand forged high carbon steel blade. High carbon steel knives require careful care to prevent them from rusting, but that is a small price to pay for a beautiful work of functional art that will last a lifetime.
