Need help on finishing Damascus

[Bob_spr]

Although I've assembled knives for over 8 years (I buy the blades instead of making them so I don't call myself a knife maker), I just finished my first project with a Damascus blade:



The project revealed a very bad flaw in my technique. When I am sanding the handle down to fit the tang, I sand with the belt sander until I see sparks fly. Then I know to switch over to shaping the rest of the handle. I did this with the Damascus blade. After shaping the handle, I hand sanded everything (going from 220 - 800 grit) until I was happy with the shine. Then I buffed it until it glowed.

After delivering it to the customer, the first thing he said was 'Why is the tang so shiny? I thought it was made of Damascus also?' I explained how I put knives together and sand them. He loved the look of the knife but was displeased by the non-Damascus look of the tang. Which leads me to my flaw. How can I sand the handle to fit properly without disturbing the 'Damascus look'? I ask because I have 3 more orders for this same pattern knife.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Bob

Edited to correct spelling

 

[Bruce Bump]

I use temporary bolts and shape and sand the entire knife except where the bolts are, then simply remove the bolts and etch the blade in ferric chloride. Be sure to "kill" the ferric chloride with ammonia before reassembling with permanent bolts or pins.
To fix this knife you can use a strong solution of ferric chloride on a Q tip and touch it up on the tang. Be sure to kill it and oil it after its deep enough.

 

[J. Doyle]

Use screws and/or hidden pins to hold the scales in place. Shape them to the tang and finish the scales. Then remove them and finish and etch your blade. Then screw, glue and/or pin your scales back on.

That was a quick easy explanation of the process. But some precision and care are required. You want your scales to go back in EXACTLY the same location as they were when you finished them. If you don't, you'll have a whole new set of problems.

For what it's worth, I totally agree with your client. There is nothing I can think of that turns my eye away from a knife faster than a damascus blade with a bright polished tang.

I know others will see it differently but to ME, it looks like the maker was either too lazy to finish it properly or too inexperienced to be working with damascus in the first place. I know that sounds harsh, but if you're going to make full tang damascus knives it would really be to your advantage to know how to finish them so damascus is seen around the whole tang.

Please don't take that as a personal attack. I'm trying to give advice so you will be more successful and have more tools in your maker's toolbox. I think they vast majority see it the same way. Even if they're not upset, I think most of them think it would have been cool to see the damascus tang. People are paying a good bit of extra money to see that pattern in the steel. They want to see as much of it as possible.

If you want more precise details on exactly how I go about this, you can send me a PM or email. Best of luck.

 

[bladegrinder]

I never tried this but what about coating the perimeter of the knife handle with nail polish to protect it from the ferric chloride, apply it with a q-tip,
neutralize it, then remove the nail polish with a soft cloth and acetone ?

 

[Bruce Bump]

I never tried this but what about coating the perimeter of the knife handle with nail polish to protect it from the ferric chloride, apply it with a q-tip,
neutralize it, then remove the nail polish with a soft cloth and acetone ?

Ive done this before and it works but you need to be careful you coat everything with a couple coats. It's not always easy to get the fingernail polish off. I surely wouldn't try it with natural handle materials like stag or wood.