Here is the Damascus after a quick acid etch.  I opted for not using muratic acid or ferric chloride (obvious reasons) and got a decent etch with lemon juice.  It has a beeswax rosin (tree sap) finish for a protective coating on the blade.

the hamon came out nicely, (differential hardening).  As you can see the Rockwell hardness is much higher on the cutting edge, hence the acid had little effect on it.  Unfortunately oil doesn't give quite as sharp a pattern.  Time to fit the hand guard and handle!!

Next set of exciting news, it looks like I can use a Fresnel lens to heat my metal.  I am also working on getting a build for an induction forge.  I will eventually run it off a solar panel.  In the meantime the Fresnel lens I'll use as much as I can in the daytime.  However, certain finalizing processes such as quenching I will most likely do via propane forge.

The horsetails are in, so its time to try a new blade coat.  I will be attempting a mimic at Japanese styles of using straw ash.  Both of these are very high in silicone.  Then coated in a clay slurry.  This is to reduce the amount of carbon lost during the forging process.

Old workings and progression

Here are a few of my older pieces.  They are definitely not as nice as some of my newer stuff, however I have it up as a sample of progression for a bladesmith.

384 layer damascus hunting knife. w1 tool steel and 5160 spring

Here are some pics of my first damascus blade.  It was quenched with a clay coat for a hamon in oil.  Unfortunately oil does not work the greatest for the visual but still works for the hard edge and soft spine.  The knife is forged to finish, and then hand ground with whetstones (Japanese based tech).

It was made with 5160 spring steel and w1 tool steel, both with similar properties for quenching, and giving a more mild wood grain.  This knife will rust if not taken care of.  I will not produce stainless blades for two reasons.  First the edge retention is not of superior quality, sacrificing no rust for hardness.  Secondly my health is a concern, and I don't enjoy being exposed to metals which are harmful to your health.

The folding and welding was done at low temperatures.  Color range orange to mild yellow.  The flux I used was 20 mule team borax.  This will hopefully be the last time I do that, seeing as it gobbled up my forge with molten salts making it look like a volcano.  It also literally eats away your metal if you flux when not welding..... was a close call to running out of metal.  I lost 8x the original starting size through the forging process due to compression and salts having the munchies.

The edge and shape being hammer finished and wet forged in the cherry red was aimed to increase edge density and hardness.  after quenching it went into a two cycle temper at 375 in a toaster covered in sand for uniform heating.

Finished to 3000 grit whetstone, now just awaiting handguard (w1 tool steel) and a antler handle and sheath both made from home caught moose :)  updates in about 1-2 weeks

This is the history of my work from start to finish.  I have had no master, so the learning process has been long, enduring, and most rewarding.

If you have any inquiries about my work please email me at kevrhou@gmail.com