Hi All,
So I'm beginning my journey toward Master Smith. I was forging up a billet of damascus today, when a question about the layer count requirement for the quillon dagger occurred to me. The requirement for the pattern is a minimum of 300 layers, in anything other than random pattern.
As I see it, the reason for the requirement is to ensure that the applicant can manage the various difficulties inherent to the process of folding a billet up to at least 300 layers (though this does wholly ignore the fact that one applicant might start with 2 layers, while another might start with 20, drastically altering the amount of manipulation required).
My question pertains to how employing crushed w's as a base pattern would play relative to that requirement.
In case it's not obvious, I'm asking this question because once the original straight layers have been crushed, layer count becomes somewhat clouded. For instance, the billet I was working on today was crushed at 200 layers, then quad-folded, then double-folded, and finally laddered. When straight layers are crushed, they essentially double over on themselves. Thus the argument could be made that the layer count has been doubled to 400. After the quad fold, a straight cut through the pattern would theoretically reveal 1600 layers in some spots, and after the final double fold, 3200. I have laddered the billet on the milling machine, to a depth of ~2/5 through the billet. Thus each ladder cut has theoretically revealed ~1280 layers.
The result will [hopefully] be a brilliant, high-density pattern exhibiting strong chatoyance. From both visual and practical standpoints, the pattern is much more intricate than, say, a 300 layer twist. Yet, as I understand the letter of the requirement, the steel would technically not be eligible for use in my MS quillon dagger.
Is that correct? Thoughts?
Zack Jonas
Journeyman Smith
|quoted:
Hi All,
So I'm beginning my journey toward Master Smith. I was forging up a billet of damascus today, when a question about the layer count requirement for the quillon dagger occurred to me. The requirement for the pattern is a minimum of 300 layers, in anything other than random pattern.
As I see it, the reason for the requirement is to ensure that the applicant can manage the various difficulties inherent to the process of folding a billet up to at least 300 layers (though this does wholly ignore the fact that one applicant might start with 2 layers, while another might start with 20, drastically altering the amount of manipulation required).
My question pertains to how employing crushed w's as a base pattern would play relative to that requirement.
In case it's not obvious, I'm asking this question because once the original straight layers have been crushed, layer count becomes somewhat clouded. For instance, the billet I was working on today was crushed at 200 layers, then quad-folded, then double-folded, and finally laddered. When straight layers are crushed, they essentially double over on themselves. Thus the argument could be made that the layer count has been doubled to 400. After the quad fold, a straight cut through the pattern would theoretically reveal 1600 layers in some spots, and after the final double fold, 3200. I have laddered the billet on the milling machine, to a depth of ~2/5 through the billet. Thus each ladder cut has theoretically revealed ~1280 layers.
The result will [hopefully] be a brilliant, high-density pattern exhibiting strong chatoyance. From both visual and practical standpoints, the pattern is much more intricate than, say, a 300 layer twist. Yet, as I understand the letter of the requirement, the steel would technically not be eligible for use in my MS quillon dagger.
Is that correct? Thoughts?
Zack,
I don't see a problem with your using the billet you've described. The 300 layers are pretty much covered. Had it been a straight ladder pattern, the requirement would stand, requiring that the billet be of sufficient layers before laddering so that the final blade would have the minimum number of layers included; likewise a twist or maidenhair. The billet you described seems to have more than met the requirement we seek - that the smith is able to reliably weld AT LEAST 300 layers of pattern-welded steel, requiring that he or she make several successive welds. There was also some discussion on the board some years ago concerning the "picture" damascus, but the consensus was that the amount of skill required to complete such a blade successfully far outstripped the basis requirement for a simple300-layer piece of damascus.
Sounds pretty, and we wish you luck!
Thanks Greg, I appreciate the response. I figured the pattern would satisfy the intent of the requirement, but I wanted to run it past someone first. Thanks for the feedback!
Zack
Zack Jonas
Journeyman Smith
