Damascus knives :
Welcome, Japanese knife lover! If you want to know more about damascus knives, you are in the right place.
Damascus blades are knives increasingly used by all, although it comes from the Japanese know-how.
Why use Damascus knives?
Damascus knives are made of a steel composed of several layers forged together. Traditionally, Damascus steel is steel that sometimes has more than 100 layers on top of itself to optimize strength, during the process carbon is spread throughout the steel and allows it to harden.
There are many ways to make damascus blades that form distinctive wavy patterns. No two blades will have exactly the same pattern.
Wootz steel :
Wootz steel is a crucible steel that appeared in the Middle East and India around 300 BC, which is the origin of the legendary Moorish swords during the crusades. All this ended in the 17th century due to a forgotten methodology and the change of materials.
The progress of metallurgy, especially during the 18th century, gave the Swedish experimenters and French researchers the methods and tools to rediscover Damascus steel.
Today, the steel used is Corroyage steel, which is called Damascus steel. It appeared much later and is so called because of its resemblance to Wootz. The technique is different, the steel of the Damascus blade is obtained by welding layers of hard and soft steel alternately on each other with a high and low carbon content.
Why choose a Damascus blade over another?
It is preferable to choose a Damascus blade for its main reasons :
Hardness : Damascus steel is very durable in the long term, it resists impacts, moisture, stains, very extreme temperatures.
Appearance : Handles with patterns, patterned blades also, can be exposed, huge choices of damask for all tastes.
Sharpness : the blade of a damask knife stays sharp longer than other basic knives, and the time to sharpen it is considerably reduced.
Power : The Damascus knife is extremely powerful in cutting, which makes it a great choice for kitchen knives and even for hunting.
No air : Due to the manufacturing process of the Damascus blade there are no bubbles or air pockets during forging. This eliminates the few spots that are meant to weaken your blade.
Reduced impurities : During the process of making the damascus blade, the few impurities or defects are all removed, leaving only a smooth, clean and very strong blade.
There are several types of Damascus knives :
Santoku : It is the most common Japanese multipurpose knife.
Yanagiba : It is the Japanese sashimi and sushi knife.
Nakiri : It is the Japanese knife which is specialized in the main cutting of vegetables.
Kiritsuke : It is the Japanese knife specialized in the cutting of the meat.
Boner : It is the damascus knife specialized for boning.
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