Our
Story
How Damaworks Started
It started before Damaworks existed. During college, I took a job with a firearms manufacturer's sister company, selling high-end hunting and shooting apparel and knives across the trade show circuit. SCI, DSC, Wild Sheep, Blade. If you've been to the Blade Show in Atlanta, you know what I mean when I say it was always my favorite week of the year.
Those early knives were made in Solingen, with Balbach steel. That's how I first met Markus Balbach and his son Lukas, two of the most genuine people in this industry, and over the years, that professional relationship became something closer to a friendship.
When COVID hit, that hunting company was dissolved. We had inventory on hand, real BALBACHDAMAST® stock, and letting it go to waste wasn't something I was willing to accept. I took out some loans, purchased what remained, and started selling it directly to knifemakers. The goal was simple: make the finest Damascus steel in the world available to smaller makers at a price lower than it had ever been offered before.
Damaworks is still a one-man operation. I work a regular job alongside this, and when show season comes around, I draft friends into service to help run the booth. If you've seen us at a show, you've probably met the crew. And if you catch me in person anywhere... at a show, in Ashland, wherever... I'm always happy to grab a coffee or a drink. Come say hello!
— Kolya · Damaworks LLC · Ashland, Oregon
What Makers Say
"Some of the most affordable and cleanest Damascus I've ever used. Most bang for your buck." - Burton Design Knives
"The cleanest, most consistently high-quality Damascus on the market." - Solace Forge
First billet from Damaworks, great to grind, has a unique feel after heat-treat temper! Cryo in liquid nitrogen. Then temper again!! - RJ Durham
This stuff is fantastic. It comes annealed and is very easy to cut, grind, and drill pre-heat treated. It hardened reliably with the heat-treat info provided and came out straight as an arrow. The pattern is fantastic, and the contrast in the layers is excellent as well. All around, an easy choice for quality Damascus. - Ostrom Iron Works
The steel is of great quality, but what sets it apart is the customer service these guys provide. A company that has a good product and does the right thing without even being asked, just as a way of doing business, deserves to be patronized!
- Danny Oh Knives
Super clean product. Well-engineered and handsome finish. Customer service was above and beyond expectations. - Jeff Kanter
As always, these guys come through with the most spectacular materials for the best price. Here’s a tank barrel blade I made recently. Thanks again for the epic goods, guys! - Lost Bison Forge
BALBACHDAMAST® — Since 1991
Master blacksmith Markus Balbach and his son Lukas have spent decades perfecting Damascus steel in Laubuseschbach, Germany. Their patented weld-bonding process eliminates contaminants and seams at every layer boundary, producing billets with consistent layer counts, no voids, and exceptional pattern definition — every time.
Learn more about the forge and manufacturing process at balbachdamast.com
Patented Process
BALBACHDAMAST® holds registered trademarks at the German Patent and Trademark Office for multiple Damascus steel types — a mark of technical distinction, not marketing.
Solid Stock Only
No powder steel. All billets are forged from solid tool steels — 1.2842 + 1.2767 for carbon, 1.4034 + 19C27 for stainless — for structural integrity and predictable heat treatment.
Ready to Work
Every billet ships soft-annealed, un-etched, and precision flat-ground. No cleanup required. Drop it straight into your machining or grinding setup.