Ariel Salaverria Custom Knives - Damascus Custom Knives - Knifemaking

#23 - #22 - #21 - #20 - #19 - #18 - #17 - #16 - #15 - #14 - #13 - #12 - #11 - #10 - #9 - #8 - #7 - #6 - #5 - #4 - #3 - #2 - #1

#27 - #26 - #25 - #24

Knifemaking - Special Damascus Dagger
A big dagger in cable damascus, ball bearings and old coins.

Knife Details:
- 8.75” dagger blade, 14.5" overall length.
- Hand forged damascus made of 1085 cable, 52100 ball bearings and nickel and copper coins.
- Handle in maple, with a guard in coppered damascus splashed with gun blueing liquid.
- Pommel in coppered cable damascus and ball bearings.

Knife making process
I started the forging with a bended cable and ball bearings with their attachement piece. (Picture 1)

Getting the steel hot in the gas oven. (Picture 2)

Steel ready for the hammering. (Picture 3)

Once I made a steel ingot, I placed the copper and nickel coins over it. (Picture 4)
After I place it on the oven again until it gets hot (aprox 600 C), then I take it off, add the flux (borax -Sodium Borate), put it on the oven again until it melts and then I repeat the process on the other side.

Finished blade. (Pictures 5, 6 and 7)

You can use an oxyacetylene torch to make up some imperfections on the copper weld if you get them.

Welding the damascus guard to the blade tang. (Pictures 8 and 9)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture 7

Picture 8

Working the handle. (Picture 10)

Dagger ready for the pommel. (Picture 11)

Pommel in cable damascus and two smaller ball bearings welded getting coppered. (Pictures 12 and 13)