I am wanting to use some of my late father's chainsaw chains to make some Damascus. I am thinking I would most likely use it as a sanmai cladding on some 52100 ball bearings of his I will forge out.
The question is what is the best way to make the chainsaw Damascus? Should I put it in a cannister with powdered steel, or just bundle the chain together super tight and hope for the best? If I put it in a cannister, should I use dark 1084 powder, or 1090 with 4% nickel? Will the chainsaw chain be a dark steel or a brighter steel??
Thanks for any suggestions!!
Hi Shane!
If the chain is large enough, I would stack/bundle it by itself and give that a try. Doing it in that manner will give you the best overall appearance in the finished product. The down side of this method is that it's significantly harder to eliminate all the voids/air space and come out with a flaw free finished product.
A lot of folks also do it via the canister method. It's very easy to fill all the voids/air space, and end up with a nice/clean finished product. The down side of this method is: Portions of the chain pattern fade into whatever type/grade of powder you use. Meaning the finished product will likely not have the traditional "chainsaw chain" appearance, and will look more abstract.
In my experience there are typically 3-4 different colors/shades in forge welded chainsaw chain due to the different components in a chainsaw chain, and it seems no matter what type/grade of powder is used...some of the chain pattern gets lost/blends into the powder. (depending on the chain brand, there could be fewer or more colors/shades.) IMO, "Oregon" brand chains of just about any size/configuration seem to work the best.
So, as with just about anything we do, it's a "give-n-take" situation... its up to you to decided which you value more.... the traditional chainsaw chain pattern (if so then stack the chain alone and weld), OR Easier welding, and a cleaner, more flaw free finished product. (if so then canister/powder is the way to go).
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
Thanks Ed!
That helps a ton! I haven't done much cannister, but I really need to get into that realm. I may have to do a couple test pieces and see what I like best. Thanks buddy!
