Damascene and Pamor

A. G. Maisey · 18th November 2007, 07:21 AM

Yeah, they're a bit different.

By "damascene" the writer would be referring to what we call pattern welded steel, or mechanical damascus---damascus steel. This is produced by forge welding alternating layers of ferric material of varying carbon content. This is a similar process to the making of a billet of pamor, but in pamor we prepare the material for further use as the "skin" of a wafer of steel.

Thus, in a pamor blade we have the pamor material on either side of the steel core. The steel core is the part of the blade that can take a heat treat to produce a cutting edge.The pamor is iron, or iron and nickel, and acts as a protective coat for the hardened steel core.Iron will not harden with a heat treat---steel will.

In a damascus blade we have a material that incorporates the qualities that will allow a heat treat for a cutting edge, going all the way through the blade---its the same stuff all the way through and capable of taking a heat treat all the way through.

Pretty much the same process to make both, just with a different end use and different qualities.

18th November 2007, 07:21 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Yeah, they're a bit different. By "damascene" the writer would be referring to what we call pattern welded steel, or mechanical damascus---damascus steel. This is produced by forge welding alternating layers of ferric material of varying carbon content. This is a similar process to the making of a billet of pamor, but in pamor we prepare the material for further use as the "skin" of a wafer of steel. Thus, in a pamor blade we have the pamor material on either side of the steel core. The steel core is the part of the blade that can take a heat treat to produce a cutting edge.The pamor is iron, or iron and nickel, and acts as a protective coat for the hardened steel core.Iron will not harden with a heat treat---steel will. In a damascus blade we have a material that incorporates the qualities that will allow a heat treat for a cutting edge, going all the way through the blade---its the same stuff all the way through and capable of taking a heat treat all the way through. Pretty much the same process to make both, just with a different end use and different qualities.