Hand Forged Damascus Knife | Knife Making

I think yall are really going to like this build! While hand forging damascus is a challenging task, the end product was well worth the work! Using 1080 and 15N20 I forged out a small 99 layer Damascus EDC knife. This little utility knife would be great for the minimalist due to it's small stature! If yall have any questions about the build please feel free to drop them in the comment section!
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The information provided on this channel is for entertainment purposes only. Any action you as the viewer takes upon the information on this channel is strictly at your own risk, and I will not be liable for any losses, damages, or personal injuries in connection with the use of this content (including injuries, damages, or losses sustained while you were trying to emulate the actions and projects on this channel). Attempting to emulate any of the actions or projects put forth by this channel should not be done without training and even then, at your own risk.

[@RedBeardOps]

So... what's yall's favorite damascus pattern?!?

[@Luiz_Alberto.P.K]

All of the Mosaic Damascus Kyle Royer does. That guy is a genius

[@mattgreef1676]

To be honest what u did there has to be up there looks like a marbel finish

[@jacobkaltz1958]

Feather Damascus

[@mattgreef1676]

Yea Kyle Roger is a bloody Damascus wizard

[@ZyloXDT]

Awesome video dude

[@AissaSniper]

The handmade knife is amazing, very beautiful, sophisticated and distinctive taste, the most beautiful and solid knife, you are a genius ❤😮😮😮😮😮

[@awworkshop3936]

Amazing results 👏 👌 🙌

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@LeandroGoretta]

So beautiful. Nice job.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@sagebrushhillbilly4655]

Man that really cane out SWEET! The uniform bevel work on the handke scales really caught my after.... after the domascus, of course!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks 👍

[@kennycampbelljr5896]

Gorgeous little knife.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Kenny!

[@kennycampbelljr5896]

@@RedBeardOps you're welcome. Keep up the good work.

[@jmbstudio6873]

Nice job! I fold stack to save fuel, time and material. That is a real nice looking knife! Forge On!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! Cheers

[@russellwhite5261]

Great job good looking knife

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Russell! Glad you like it!

[@6Sally5]

Absolutely love this knife! I would ditch my folders and carry this baby everyday.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers

[@curtispoppenberg7349]

Very nicely done! That's 99 layers..... minus the layers you ground off.

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad you enjoyed it Curtis! Cheers

[@stevep7608]

Been making knives for over 30yrs. Took some time off. After watching your vids, I’ve dusted off my gear, got some new stuff and have been prepping to make knives again. Currently Rebuilding by forge so I can make Damascus.

[@RedBeardOps]

HECK YEAH! That's awesome Steve. Glad you're back in the game!

[@fredeemoon6053]

Absolutely stunning.....too beautiful to use 💚💚💚💚

[@RedBeardOps]

Thankyou! Glad you liked this one!

[@jjppres]

Well done! That little thing came out really looking good. I believe it would make a great little EDC. For having not made damascus in years I think you did a bank up job. Kudo's!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! I'm stoked it came out in one solid piece with no inclusions! A press would be handy for sure... Have a great weekend!

[@Yousoundvaxxed]

What a beautiful knife

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@roncrawford7128]

I love this knife. Outstanding job!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@Olletaljer]

very good high contrastt damaskus

[@vagnerfischer9107]

Very beautiful 🗡️

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Aleeknives]

A+ on doing damascus by hand man! It is no easy task.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much, sir! It did take some time for sure... Have a great weekend!

[@bobgore1962]

Absolutely awesome video, James! Thanks for sharing my brother! 😎👍🏻🔨🔥🔪

[@RedBeardOps]

Cheers Bob!

[@Moto_rescue113]

I love your work

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir!

[@rayroid6656]

Das ist der Hammer . Fünf Sterne von feinsten

[@RedBeardOps]

Vielen Dank!!

[@franotoole2702]

Very nice work!!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much, sir! Have a great weekend!

[@Bootsbladesbullets]

I really learned a lot from this video, thanks for sharing the details on how tackle each small problem. There a lot of knife making vids on YT, not many are as useful as yours.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Really glad you're enjoying the videos

[@Call_Me_Dragon]

Cool. Fun to watch.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much! Glad you liked it!

[@robertguando9192]

Love that handle! Very nice my friend

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much Robert! Glad you like it!

[@danunger3240]

One suggestion; twist on a piece of wire for a temporary handle to the butt end of your damascus blade before heat treating. The area of your butt end, where your tongs grab it, your tongs will steal heat out of your tang, causing it to not harden the same as the rest of the blade. The result being, your final etch won't look the same throughout the entire blade. Grabbing onto the temporary wire handle with your tongs, means your entire damascus blade heats up equally and the etch looks much better.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank Dan|! That's a great idea! I did notice some variation in the pattern where my tongs were

[@evaderknives]

I like that 45 degree idea for a jig, but if you look at a Reeder grinder & their tool rest setup, they are pretty easy to make. Especially since you have 2 or 3 slots in your grinder. That way you can set it to any angle. I just upgraded my KMG to a 2 slot system & it is so much easier than the bolt on tool rest. Hope all is well, take it easy. (P.s.hope you don't mind me always telling you how I do things, it's just suggestions, not trying to tell people "how it should be done" hope it doesn't come across like that.)

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks for the suggestion, sir. Always looking for new ways to do things for sure. Those Reeder grinders are something else! Have a great weekend grinding!

[@thinkingmanhillbilly]

When you're cutting off the Corby bolts you should try taking a piece of sheet metal with a hole drilled in it and just hold that over the Corby Bolt and then cut it up against a sheet metal

[@RedBeardOps]

Good idea sir, that will protect the scales nicely!

[@midwestfisherman]

That’s a beautiful knife!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@ALWhiteAuthor]

I love that final step with the Ballistol. Love that stuff. Smells fantastic.

[@RedBeardOps]

Man.... I wish Ballistol would sponsor me... I use that stuff on everything. Only thing I really use for handgun cleaning too.

[@TheArtofCraftsmanship]

Great job. I love this little knife. Great info on hand forging Damascus. Thanks!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much, sir! If you have the time it's doable... but man it was a lot of work! A power hammer or hydraulic press would really come in handy... I also think for the hand forging dude, hidden tangs may be the way to go so you can maximize the blade size. Cheers man

[@armadilloforge]

100 layers is fine. My favorite I think is the rain drop pattern. This one turned out great. Itching to get out in the forge, but this Texas weather is HOT! Thanks for the video.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey yeah man. I need to try a rain drop for sure. It is freaking hot out there!

[@danielivanov3463]

Your job is perfect

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir!

[@Luiz_Alberto.P.K]

Pretty cool

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir!

[@scouserbychoice]

Great looking knife....great video and a really great voiceover with plenty of information. Thanks for sharing

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Rob! Really happy you enjoyed it!

[@congruewoodworks1474]

Loved the attention to detail.

[@RedBeardOps]

Really appreciate your comment sir!

[@trailruntim]

Awesome little knife! Love that you did the Damascus by hand.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Tim! A labor of necessity! LOL

[@jaimeherrera5892]

WOW Man , perfec agains, you are a inspiration

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Monsterman32]

Excellent work.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@yelmizhatk9320]

Her tür aletiniz var maşşallah kardeşim. Ellerinize sağlık hayran oldum. Emeklerinize sağlık kardeşim.

[@RedBeardOps]

Teşekkür ederim!

[@fullnelson3028]

super cool man. thinking of starting playing with knife making now that my firearm phase seems to be fading a bit

[@RedBeardOps]

Good luck with your builds!

[@thefamily_ak1863]

So good ..... Can wait 2 try myself ...thx 4 sharing with us

[@RedBeardOps]

Cheers sir! Glad you liked it!

[@nightwalker2830]

Another beautiful knife always enjoy your videos and trying not to miss an single video

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much! Appreciate it man.

[@davidscadlock5569]

Just rewatched for the ?? time (a bunch). Great guide as I getting ready to do final finishing on a damascus knife I started in 1993 (yes 28 years ago). Very helpful on the steps, grits and acid etching!! Thank you!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah David! Glad you liked this one. I loved this little build

[@jameswilkes3186]

Another great video and knife. Your attention to detail and workmanship is impressive. Thank you for sharing.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks man! Really appreciate that!

[@MrSharky58]

That knife is a thing of beauty and joy to behold! Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge. Who can give a thumbs down to this content? Go watch something else.

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, thank you greatly David! Glad you enjoyed the build

[@jackspradt1562]

came out real nice - but , just as important - the video came out killer, great information. you do this very well. keep up the great content and work!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Bladeshed]

Good one man ,that turned out really good, nice green scales .that Damascus pattern also looks great, enjoyed watching very much.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Really happy you liked this one. I like the color combo too!

[@micahlukac7885]

Wish I could like this 100x. Beautiful blade! The carpenter in me woulda put a sick chunk of burl on the handle but I get why you prefer micarta. Ya gotta be be proud of that one. I would be. Very nice work

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Michael! Really appreciate that! I went with the micarta in this case due to being lazy! It was already 1/4'' and already flat(ish)

[@wolfman75]

Excellent Work!!! Thank You For Sharing Your Talent!!!! 🤤😀👍😎😁

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much! I'm just learning over here :)

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Great build, it came out beautiful! Great to see you doing more forging. Time to build a press now! 😜

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Tyrell, thanks man. Crazy thing is that i have a press at my parents house... built it back in high school and it's been sitting there for about 15 years!... Would need new hydraulics, but its structurally sound. Problem is the space requirement... LOL (Have a good week sir!)

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

Ah, I’d make space for that and give something else up. But making Damascus is my main drive, so... 😜

[@avmak75]

Good work👍

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! Have a great weekend!

[@ironhammer3734]

Nice work, that's a sweet little knife. Personally I prefer the lower count abstract patterns with high contrast. You know, kind of like this one. Beautiful knife!

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey thanks man! Really glad you liked this build and the final product... I like it too!

[@e2jw]

Wow - That's a beautiful knife!!! You are amazing! I love watching how you do this; and the skillful improvisation of tooling and creativity - a Master and his craft!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much! Just learning over here, one knife at a time.

[@jacobkaltz1958]

Finally Damascus

[@RedBeardOps]

Man... It was a bear... A press would be nice! Thanks for the watch and comment, bro.

[@jacobkaltz1958]

Red Beard Ops a press would be great

[@NRiggiKnives]

James, great knife and build. Love the pattern in the Damascus.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Nick! Really glad you liked it. This one took a while.

[@bhein67]

Great video. I learn something new from each of your videos! Thanks for sharing Cheers from Canada

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Cheers from Texas!

[@gurvinderkau1e5w18]

Beautiful pattern.i like feather pattern damascus.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! I've heard feather is one of the hardest to make!

[@gurvinderkau1e5w18]

@@RedBeardOps ya you have to split the billet from centre and the again forge it together. Try it will be fun👍👍👍👍

[@patrickvilda9929]

Beautiful 👍👍👍

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@YanCheh-uj9lu8tt9yan]

Very nice job.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@gabocosta3373]

Excellent video, greetings from Argentina!!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much! Glad you liked it. Cheers from Texas!

[@MrSoloun]

Nice build and great looking end result :)

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir!

[@edgaralatorre4207]

Nice as always! Greetings from México 🇲🇽

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks Edgar! Cheers from Texas

[@philmcglen6194]

That pattern looks amazing! Great job!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! Very happy you enjoyed this one!

[@philmcglen6194]

@@RedBeardOps I enjoy all of them mate! Was a really nice pattern though! Nice one

[@jasonnull2248]

That looks great.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you Jason! Glad you like it.

[@Jim-fr3gr]

That is one good looking 🔪.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Glad you like it!

[@jma5177]

Very Nice

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much!

[@adamhall5268]

Looks awesome man! I've learned a lot by watching your videos.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks a million Adam! Glad you enjoy them!

[@wiley979]

Great build! Of the non mosaic patterns, Feather is by far my favorite. For mosaics most of what Salem Straub is producing blows my mind....

[@RedBeardOps]

He is amazing! I love his work for sure. I really need to get my hands on a hydraulic press... Have a great weekend

[@xthemadplumberx7110]

Today Ive been working on my third damascus billet, man Im really tired it took 3 hours to make 36 layers hot cutting and with an 8 ton forge press. Im gonna quarter it up later on this week and weld it; I hope it turns out half as nice as your knife. Great job!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much sir! Good luck with your build, it sounds epic.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Great video awesome job turned out well forge on my friend keep up the great craftsmanship and work

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much, sir!

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Red Beard Ops ur very welcome my friend forge on keep it up

[@LuizFelipe-fn5xv]

Good job. Beautiful knives. Congratulations sent here from Brazil. Post more videos. 🔪🇧🇷

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! I'll do my best!

[@NOFX0890]

Absolutely amazing. Great job....

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much!

[@adrianhernandez974]

Felicidades amigo, excelente trabajo. Saludos desde Ecatepec, México 🇲🇽

[@RedBeardOps]

¡Gracias!

[@user-ck5uu9dp9k]

Love it! I’d carry it proudly! Man seeing something like this come together, then seeing the result, makes me WANT in an entirely unhealthy manner! Lol Great job!

[@RedBeardOps]

Right on!

[@rroberts8501]

Looks great! I've got a small stack of 15n20 and 1084 that I've held back for a similar build, but I've not yet started on it. Like you, I dont have a press or power hammer so was good to see what 'can' be done without such. If mine turns out half as nice as that one, I'll consider it a win! Great job as always!

[@RedBeardOps]

Heck yeah man, thank you! If I were to do a bigger knife, I think I'd work on two billets this size then combine them at the end.... Or just forge out a hidden tang knife instead. Just some thoughts. Cheers sir!

[@danbonshtein2895]

love your videos man keep dong this great job, i have learned a lot from you!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much Dan! Really happy you're enjoying them!

[@evloftis4143]

Very nice knife bud keep up the great work !!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you very much Everett! Have a great weekend!

[@timbosko8705]

Excellent

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@xxxshakal]

Foarte frumos lucrat.

[@RedBeardOps]

Ma bucur ca ti-a placut!

[@mwsellox7751]

I like it. Nice sire

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad you like it!

[@сергейденисов-у3я]

замечательный малыш. уважение Мастеру.

[@RedBeardOps]

Большое спасибо! Хороших выходных!

[@bushcraftoregon]

super video; like your explanations

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@conradbennett3251]

Awesome!!

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@OutlawCaliber13]

Gave ya a subscribe just for being from Texas. haha Very nice work though, and nice to see, at least basically, how Damascus steel is made these days.

[@RedBeardOps]

Awesome thank you! Cheers Byron

[@tectalabyss]

Loved it. Has always I liked,shared. All my best.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@KageStelhman]

Toss up between Feather, Raindrop and Mosaic patterns. P.S. to save yourself a good bit of material (with knife making anyhow) you really should look into encapsulating your damascus billets in mild steel... I mean I know that Borax is pretty cheap, but no oxygen getting between the plates of 15N20 and 1080 = No forge scale. may not save much money and it adds a step, but it saves you a lot of time and you don't lose nearly as much material as if you were setting your welds/forging in open air.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks for the tip sir! I've seen Kyle Royer doing this! Have a great day!

[@youcefsaouli1560]

👏 bravo 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 🙏🙏

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you!

[@ClenioBuilder]

Little, But Still Fierce.

[@RedBeardOps]

Lol, thank you sir!

[@blaynemacpherson8519]

How long did this build take? I would have put one more checking file mark on the spine closer to the point. Being a small knife you then the lay your finger over the spine for more control. Nice build well done. I’m glad you showed the mistakes and how you fixed them.

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad you enjoyed it man. It's really hard to tell how long since it took me working on it intermittently multiple weekends. Probably 12-16 hours.

[@gundanium3126]

your going to want to learn to use tongs for forging to shape. to start with a pair of wolf jaw tongs from Blacksmithdepot will work great. the reason for using tongs is you can better shape the handle as you can start with the handle away from your holding object makes it much easier to forge it out.

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks for the tip sir! I've been eyeing some wolf jaw tongs.

[@gundanium3126]

@@RedBeardOps your welcome. you also may want to get some 'blade' tongs if you start forging more.

[@GeekGuyMJ]

Great video! This hand-forged Damascus is what I was looking for. Thank you for explaining all the steps you took.

[@RedBeardOps]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AP-fm9jm]

A late question from my side, just found your channel and am enjoying your vids a lot. You have a great voice btw. I was wondering about your respiratory protection, what is that and how does it work? Looks like some scubadiver stuff?

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Annikka, thanks! This is the respirator I use. It goes in and out of stock since the virus. Resp-O-Rator - amzn.to/2M6PMN7 Great for those of us with beards since it doesn't require a face seal.

[@richardhatt6541]

You already have the rebar welded on, you can make the handle out of the rebar and the blade all Damascus.

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Richard, I'd say it's possible, but I really don't like working with rebar.

[@richardhatt6541]

Just a way to use all of the quality metal. The handle doesn't really matter that much, does it?

[@RedBeardOps]

@@richardhatt6541 Yes sir, that is correct, the handle metal does not need to be of the same quality as the blade. In this case I wanted to be able to see the Damascus pattern along the spine of the knife. Also, in general, I like having high quality steel in the handle heat treated to a "spring temper" or close to it. I feel like this allows the knife to handle impact and flexing better. Could be wrong.

[@francoisvermaak1764]

Wow another beautiful piece of art. What would you sell a Damascus blade like that for.??

[@RedBeardOps]

Thank you sir! I have no idea! I'm going to get a sheath together for this one... and likely put it on Instagram for sale eventually. I'm not sure the price.

[@daveticino1]

Really nice work on the Blade, I also like how the micarta pops out on the spine side, is it canvas micarta?

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Dave, If I remember right it is canvas micarta! Cheers sir

[@mattgreef1676]

Evening from the UK mate. Probably a stupid question but I'll ask anyway you mentioned in the video about forging temp at the moment I do.stock.removal.but want to.give forging a go what colour is the metal at forging temp. Sorry for the essay 😅

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey Matt, they have some references online with different colors and temps which are decent. (Type in "Metal Heat Chart Color") - Forge welding heats are around 1800-2000 F. I find it's a decent indicator to watch the flux... it gets very melted.

[@mattgreef1676]

Legend thanks yet again for the help

[@jfish4533]

Cool blade! So after normalising you cool the blade in water? Rather than letting it cool naturally?

[@RedBeardOps]

Hey John, I cool the blade in water after each tempering cycle. This has no negative affect on the blade and speeds up the tempering process. (Normalizing is done in the forge and in that case you'll let the blade cool to room temp naturally or with a fan)

[@jfish4533]

Red Beard Ops ah sorry, wasn’t paying attention! Thanks for the reply too, love your channel!

[@RedBeardOps]

@@jfish4533 Cheers, sir

[@avh128avh128]

great video . what is that powder that you add at 1:07 and what does it do

[@RedBeardOps]

Hello sir. That is Borax (flux). It prevents oxygen from getting in between the layers and causing a delamination. At least that's what I understand it does.

[@lostmypicks]

Great looking knife. Where do you get the stencils for your maker mark?

[@RedBeardOps]

Thanks! Cheers - www.tustech.com/