# Damascus steel



## Donovan (Feb 22, 2013)

I want to make a pen from Damascus steel. I am in the process of getting some Damascus from Alabama Damascus. My question is how do you stop the Damascus from rusting. I know that a few cotes of CA will seal the steel but once you drop the pen on a hard surface and you get a small crack in the CA, it will start to rust. 
Alabama Damascus don't make stainless Damascus

Donovan


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## philipff (Feb 22, 2013)

Had you thought of using Mokeme instead of Damascus?  You would not get rust with the latter.  Also, I doubt that CA would fracture enough to cause a rust spot from a simple dropping.   Your environment would have to be very high in humidity.   - -just my 2cts.  Philip


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## John Den (Feb 22, 2013)

Here's my pennyworth!!
I would polish it to a mirror surface in the normal Wet & Dry, followed by MM, then Metal polish way.
I would then polish it with a good beeswax furniture polish and not expect it to rust - especially if the pen was to be used!
But then I don't like CA as a finish ('cos I'm OLD).
Regards,
John


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 22, 2013)

Donovan, every month or so a lite coat of gun oil will keep Damascus looking natral and rust free, also have you given thought to stainless Damascus which will not rust.


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## Dan Hintz (Feb 23, 2013)

I would be very upset if I purchased a pen and was told I need to keep a coat of oil on it to prevent rust... the last thing I would want when holding something outside of the workshop is oil on my hands.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

I said a LITE coat of gun oil that will soak into the Damascus, I have two Damascus Pens and I do this about every two months and I never have had oil on my hands. I've sold a dozen or more of the Carbon Damascus and with each one I suppled a small bottle of Gun oil, showed the customer how to apply and rub into the steel. It's just maintenance on a very special pen that buyers of High Carbon  Damascus know they need to do. But I'm willing to bet that most don't even use the pen as it's in their collection and only touched when showing it off and maintaining it.


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## skiprat (Feb 23, 2013)

It's been said above that it should be polished then oiled. 
Here is a damascus pen a made a while ago. 
The first pic is of it 'polished' which as you can see, hides the damascus pattern. The second pic is after I soaked it in ethanoic acid ( vinegar ) to bring out the grain. I do use it now and then ( on my desk at home ) and have found that just handling it, stops it from rusting. 
If it was oiled before pickling then it probably wouldn't have a pattern


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## Donovan (Feb 23, 2013)

I bought some Makume Damascus blanks and will try them. I am still going to make the Damascus pen. I have a old English shot gun with Damascus barrels and that rusts very easy . Saying that the pen will be for my personal use and I can keep it rust free

Donovan


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

Actually oiling after etching (pickling) will bring out the pattern. 

here is a photo of one of mine I made:

and three more that I've sold:



skiprat said:


> It's been said above that it should be polished then oiled.
> 
> 
> Here is a damascus pen a made a while ago.
> ...


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## skiprat (Feb 23, 2013)

OKLAHOMAN said:


> Actually oiling after etching (pickling) will bring out the pattern.


 
I'm not sure I understand Roy.  The etching has already brought out the pattern. Are you saying that oiling it after etching will increase the contrast even more so? 
I hope it does, because I find the pattern ( in mine )too subtle as it is and would prefer if it stood out more.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

Skippy, oiling with not deepen the etch only acid will but it will bring out the contrast. Be sure to use a non fibrious cloth to oil the barrels as a fibrious cloth will leven lint on the damascus, I place a small drop on my finger and rub in until it feels almost dry, this way the oil gets into the layers that were etched. Also instead of vinager which works use an etching solution sold at here in the states at Radio shack to etch printed curcut boards called Ferric Chloride, it will give deeper etching faster.


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## skiprat (Feb 23, 2013)

Thanks Roy:wink:


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## plantman (Feb 23, 2013)

skiprat said:


> It's been said above that it should be polished then oiled.
> Here is a damascus pen a made a while ago.
> The first pic is of it 'polished' which as you can see, hides the damascus pattern. The second pic is after I soaked it in ethanoic acid ( vinegar ) to bring out the grain. I do use it now and then ( on my desk at home ) and have found that just handling it, stops it from rusting.
> If it was oiled before pickling then it probably wouldn't have a pattern


Skiprat; What a difference !!! If you had not stated what you did to inhance the grain, I would have taken the first photo as chrome, stainless, or aluminum. The folding of damascus realy gives it a super look. As for the rusting, I have Japaneese irons in some of my antique hand planes that are hundreds of years old that are damascus steel. They turn a dark gray or black, but I have never seen rust on any of them. My guess would be that the makers quenched them in oil as they worked the metal, and retained some of that oil in the metal itself. A lot of the plane irons and swords were forged out of old boat anchor chains that had been in the elements for a number of years with no rust. The color in Roy's pen, is what my plane irons look like after 200 years. I have never reoiled my irons or sword blades. Jim S


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## Dan Hintz (Feb 23, 2013)

I hate you, Roy... after seeing those pics, now I need to add blanks like that to my repertoire.


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

Jim, most of todays Damascus is high carbon  and in certain conditions will surface rust, I think it was the Jr. Statesman F/P in the photo of the three pens is the one I noticed that had surface rust when I got back from a show in Houston, after a lite coast of gun oil the rust stopped and no more rusr has ever appeared as far as I know as I sold it and the new owner has bought an other from me six months later.  





plantman said:


> skiprat said:
> 
> 
> > It's been said above that it should be polished then oiled.
> ...


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## wiset1 (Feb 23, 2013)

One of my main questions about Damascus is how do you keep the inside from rusting?  I have a couple rods of Damascus that has yet to be turned, just because I suck at the metal lathe...working on that, but if you're oiling the outside, what's keeping the inside from rusting and working like a cancer as a silent killer?


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

Tim, again a lite coat of gun oil inside and out, once the pen is assembled the insides are not as exposed to outside humid conditions.


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## keithbyrd (Feb 23, 2013)

I think I am going to show my lack of knowledge!
I get the feeling that we are not talking about the M3 Damascus pen blanks.  This is the only M3 I have made and I have experienced no rusting in the resin- so I assume you are talking about something else.  Actual Damascus steel?  And I also assume it has to be turned on a metal lathe?


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 23, 2013)

You assume right were talking real Damascus steel, not M3.





keithbyrd said:


> I think I am going to show my lack of knowledge!
> I get the feeling that we are not talking about the M3 Damascus pen blanks. This is the only M3 I have made and I have experienced no rusting in the resin- so I assume you are talking about something else. Actual Damascus steel? And I also assume it has to be turned on a metal lathe?


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## Pancho Elizalde (Aug 6, 2017)

I'm connected with damascus steel makers as I am a leather sheath maker. Tell me, please, how are the measures for a pen blank? I don't think that you need to oil the damascues teel pen, as I never do with my damascus steel knives. Alwaya carbon, stainless steel damascus it is so difficult to do.


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## lorbay (Aug 7, 2017)

Here is one I made. Pickled no oil. 
Lin


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## OZturner (Aug 7, 2017)

skiprat said:


> It's been said above that it should be polished then oiled.
> Here is a damascus pen a made a while ago.
> The first pic is of it 'polished' which as you can see, hides the damascus pattern. The second pic is after I soaked it in ethanoic acid ( vinegar ) to bring out the grain. I do use it now and then ( on my desk at home ) and have found that just handling it, stops it from rusting.
> If it was oiled before pickling then it probably wouldn't have a pattern



Steven, If I hadn't seen the results for myself, I wouldn't have thought that (the second pic) soaking the pen in ethanoic acid (vinegar) would have caused the whole picture to turn darker.  :foot-in-mouth: 
Regards,
Brian.


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