The Making of Trevor's Knife October 2021

Hello, Trevor,
Your grandfather commissioned me to make you a custom blade. I wanted to share the process with you. Some still photos and some videos are below. This is a 5 - 1/2” Damascus Skinner (blade side - a little over 9” total) Damascus steel blade. Damascus steel is made by stacking different high carbon steel together and forge welding them. This is 1084 and 15N20 steel. When you etch the blade in Ferric Chloride, the pattern of the weld shows. It’s really beautiful and very strong.

Stacked and welded steel ready for the forge.

16 layers of 1084 and 15N20 stacked and cut four times about 200+ layers after it’s finished. It’s. a long process.

16 layers of 1084 and 15N20 stacked and cut four times about 200+ layers after it’s finished. It’s. a long process.

The billet is put into the forge. It will “soak” for 15 minutes or so before I set the weld.

The billet is put into the forge. It will “soak” for 15 minutes or so before I set the weld.

It’s getting hot. This is probably in the neighborhood of 1800F

It’s getting hot. This is probably in the neighborhood of 1800F

The initial forge weld is set - it welded all of the 16 layers together. This billet will be cut and forged welded four or five times. The final billet will be about 12” long and 1/4” thick. Then, I’ll start the forging of the knife.

The initial forge weld is set - it welded all of the 16 layers together. This billet will be cut and forged welded four or five times. The final billet will be about 12” long and 1/4” thick. Then, I’ll start the forging of the knife.

My method is to forge the blade to the shape I want and then refine it on the grinder. I have a TW-90 Grinder, it’s specifically made for knife making and allows me to get exactly what I want in shape, thickness, bevels, etc.

My method is to forge the blade to the shape I want and then refine it on the grinder. I have a TW-90 Grinder, it’s specifically made for knife making and allows me to get exactly what I want in shape, thickness, bevels, etc.

This is after the initial grind. I used a 36 grit belt and a 400 grit belt to get here. I call this a modified CLIP POINT SKINNER BLADE. It’s a unique and custom style of blade. I make traditional knives, but I prefer to do custom designs like this.

This is after the initial grind. I used a 36 grit belt and a 400 grit belt to get here. I call this a modified CLIP POINT SKINNER BLADE. It’s a unique and custom style of blade. I make traditional knives, but I prefer to do custom designs like this.

I’ve made the rough layout for the scales (handle) and pins. This is sitting on the Black Walnut wood that I will make the handle out of - a perfect fit. This will be a beautiful blade! When I etch it in Ferric Chloride, you’ll see the Damascus pattern - about 200+ layers of 1084 and 15N20 high carbon steel. More on that later.

I’ve made the rough layout for the scales (handle) and pins. This is sitting on the Black Walnut wood that I will make the handle out of - a perfect fit. This will be a beautiful blade!
When I etch it in Ferric Chloride, you’ll see the Damascus pattern - about 200+ layers of 1084 and 15N20 high carbon steel. More on that later.

I heat treated the blade today. I kept the handle and spine “soft” it helps with shock and impact. I’ll temper the blade before I finish all of the grinding. I stamped my maker’s mark on the blade (it’s a star with a Q in the center), drilled holes for the scales/handle and cut the black walnut material to size. I go to see some of the pattern when I was heat treating - absolutely gorgeous! I’ll be sure to do a deep etch on it. The pin stock is brass and when I have the grind to a 220 grit, I’ll do the glue-up on the scales. That’s next.

I heat treated the blade today. I kept the handle and spine “soft” it helps with shock and impact. I’ll temper the blade before I finish all of the grinding. I stamped my maker’s mark on the blade (it’s a star with a Q in the center), drilled holes for the scales/handle and cut the black walnut material to size. I go to see some of the pattern when I was heat treating - absolutely gorgeous! I’ll be sure to do a deep etch on it. The pin stock is brass and when I have the grind to a 220 grit, I’ll do the glue-up on the scales. That’s next.