Bladesmithing 102- Damascus Intensive: Crafting Damascus from Fire to Form

Damascus making-including material preparation, layering, welding, patterning, and drawing out steels to create a hidden tang chef knife

Damascus 3-Day Intensive This immersive three-day workshop will guide experienced participants through the complete process of forging a Damascus steel knife — from raw steel to finished Chef’s knife. Day 1 – Forge Welding & Pattern Creation We’ll begin by constructing and forge-welding a billet using 1084 and 15n-20 steels. Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, students will use propane forges, hydraulic presses, and power hammers to form solid Damascus stock. You'll learn to cut, restack, and manipulate the billet to increase layer counts and create patterns. Choose between classic raindrop, twist or ladder motifs to personalize your steel. Day 2 – Blade Forging & Heat Treating Using your patterned billet, you’ll forge a single-edged, hidden-tang knife of your own design. After forging to shape, we’ll cover the fundamentals of rough grinding using 2x72 belt grinders. You’ll also learn the principles of heat treating high-performance blades, including normalization, quenching, and tempering techniques. Day 3 – Finishing, Assembly & Etching Day three is dedicated to refining your blade and crafting a custom handle. We'll cover handle shaping and fit-up, final polishing of steel and wood, and acid etching to reveal the distinct patterning in your Damascus. Expect to leave with a fully assembled, functional, and visually striking knife designed for use in the kitchen. Tools & Materials: All provided, including safety gear