When most think of a forged blade, they picture an image of a bladesmith standing in the light of the forge, hammering a piece of steel on an anvil in a dark area, sparks flying—basically, they envision a dramatic scene watching a blade grow.
Actually, forging a blade is not very exciting to watch. It is more like watching a tree grow slowly but surely to its destiny. I find it difficult to describe forging a blade; so much is happening while the “tree grows” that few will realize the joy experienced by the bladesmith who is totally dedicated to its progress. Each loving hammer blow is forever recorded in the development of the forged blade.
Those who have been involved in the development of a forged blade can etch and study it for hours and still only experience part of what the blade has to tell. The metallurgist who studies the blade can describe what he sees through his microscope, and with his knowledge of metals can reveal more than the bladesmith dreamed could happen.
Once BLADE Magazine member Bill Moran and his wife, Mrs. Margaret Moran, got folks interested in damascus steel, bladesmithing discovered the art of etching blades to reveal the pattern. I was not aware that much could be learned when etching blades from only one steel. At first I figured that damascus steel was the gateway to the great blades of the past. Then Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Wayne Goddard and I started testing our best damascus steel. We learned that while damascus could cut a little and was beautiful, it could not come close to the overall performance we could easily achieve with our 5160 carbon steel blades.
