For reasons that are not entirely clear, but possibly because sources of ores containing trace amounts of tungsten and/or vanadium needed for its production were depleted, the process was lost to the middle-eastern metal smiths circa 1750AD. It has been eagerly sought by many since that time.

It used to be believed that Damascus steel was made using pattern welding because the layering revealed by etching a pattern-welded blade in acid is similar to that of Damascus steel.

Pattern welded steel is commonly sold today as "Damascus steel", though it appears that the original Damascus steel was not created with that technique. Pattern welded Damascus is made out of several types of steel and iron slices, which are then welded together to form a billet. The patterns vary depending on what the smith does to the billet. The billet is drawn out and folded until the desired numbers of layers are formed. The end result, if done well, bears a strong resemblance to the surface appearance of a true Damascus blade, though the internal structure is completely dissimilar.

Pattern welding, also called laminate steel or pattern-welded Damascus steel, uses two or more metals combined together during the forging process. Typically, layers of a steel alloy are combined with layers of a softer metal, such as nickel. The layers are folded onto each other numerous times, which helps to further remove any impurities in the metal. It also greatly multiplies the total number of layers. If a blade smith starts out with three layers of nickel sandwiched between four layers of steel then a fold will double the number of layers to 14. Another fold would make 28 layers and a third one would create a total of 56 layers!

As the folding continues, the softer metal welds or glues the layers of steel together to form a single whole. The softer metal layers give the sword greater flexibility without sacrificing the hardness of the steel needed for the cutting edge. Once the blade is complete, it is given an acid wash that brings out the contrast between the metals used. The patterns created by the different metals add incredible beauty to the blade and can be quite intricate.

Care of your Damascus blade is important if you want to keep it for years. Carbon Steel will rust if not protected. We recommend using Hanwei Sword Oil - Specially formulated to provide corrosion protection for high-carbon steel blades and other edged weapons. Ideal for covering exposed metal guards and wire-wrapped grips, and various scabbard components. You may purchase this product online at Reliks in London Ontario.