The steel
DSC® Carbon Damascus
High-contrast carbon Damascus, forge-welded from two tool steels by BALBACHDAMAST®. It hardens in an oil quench, takes the deepest, darkest etch of the two steels, and reaches the higher hardness. Not stainless, so it wants to be kept dry and oiled.
SIZES IN STOCK
PER INCH, FROM
Specification
The numbers
- Layers
- 160
- As delivered
- Soft annealed, 22-27 HRC
- Max hardness
- Up to 62-63 HRC
- Forging
- 1742-1976°F
- Hardening
- 1544°F, oil quench
- Deep freeze
- Recommended
- Temper
- 2 × 1 hr at 356°F, 62 HRC
- Etchants
- FeCl₃ or H₂SO₄
- Care
- Keep it oiled
The alloys
Two steels, forge-welded
DSC® Carbon is built from these two, folded to 160 layers by the DSC® SuperClean process. Here are the makers' own datasheets.
1.2842 (O2)
Dörrenberg Edelstahl
Open datasheet (opens in a new tab)1.2767 (6F7)
Dörrenberg Edelstahl
Open datasheet (opens in a new tab)
All four alloy datasheets and a one-page DSC® reference card are on the datasheets and guides page.
Heat treatment
From the forge to the temper
- 01
Forge · 1742-1976°F
950-1080°C. Cool slowly after forging.
- 02
Anneal · only after hot work
2 hr at 1328°F (720°C), then 2 hr at 1202°F (650°C). Cool in the furnace, remove below 570°F (300°C).
- 03
Harden · 1544°F, oil
840°C, 4 min soak, quench in oil. Deep freeze recommended, not required.
- 04
Temper · 2 × 1 hr
356°F (180°C) for knife blades: 62 HRC. 392°F (200°C) for decorative pieces: 61 HRC.
From the BALBACHDAMAST® datasheets. The product pages carry the same schedule beside the buy box.
Etching
Bring the pattern up
- 01
Prep
Fine polish, up to a mirror, after hardening. Degrease with dish soap or acetone.
- 02
Etch at 122°F (50°C)
FeCl₃ 15-35% or H₂SO₄ 15-30%, warmed in a water bath.
- 03
Passes
Etch until the layers clearly show. Light: 20-40 sec passes. Deep: 4 × 5 min. Toothbrush and baking soda between passes.
- 04
Finish
Neutralize, then fine polish or sand above 2000 grit until the contrast is where you want it. Oil or wax to finish.
Patterns
DSC® Carbon patterns in stock
8 patterns are on the shelf in this steel right now, in widths from 20 to 60 mm (0.79-2.36 in).
Order DSC® Carbon, cut to the inch
Pick a size and pattern, cut to the exact length you need, shipped from Ashland. Not sure how much you need? The calculator sizes a billet to your blade.
Compare carbon and stainless side by sideThe DSC® Inox stainless page