The steel
DSC® Inox Stainless Damascus
Stainless Damascus, forge-welded from 1.4034 and 19C27 by BALBACHDAMAST®. It hardens under vacuum or protective gas, resists rust once hardened, and is approved for contact with food - a Damascus that asks for less care and goes where water and weather do.
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Specification
The numbers
- Layers
- 120
- As delivered
- Soft annealed, 22-27 HRC
- Max hardness
- Up to 62 HRC
- Forging
- 1742-1922°F
- Hardening
- 1922-1976°F under vacuum or protective gas, air quench
- Deep freeze
- Recommended, right after the quench
- Temper
- 2 × 0.75 hr at 356-374°F, 60-61 HRC
- Etchants
- H₂SO₄ only
- Care
- Stainless, food-safe
The alloys
Two steels, forge-welded
DSC® Inox is built from these two, folded to 120 layers by the DSC® SuperClean process. Here are the makers' own datasheets.
1.4034 (420C)
Dörrenberg Edelstahl
Open datasheet (opens in a new tab)19C27
Alleima
Open datasheet (opens in a new tab)
Approved for contact with food. Once hardened, DSC® Inox resists rust and meets the requirement for food-contact use, which makes it the grade for kitchen knives, and for rings and jewelry worn against the skin.
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 · 1742-1922°F
950-1050°C. Cool slowly after forging.
- 02
Anneal · only after hot work
At least 4 hr at 1526°F (830°C). Cool in the furnace, remove below 752°F (400°C).
- 03
Harden · 1922-1976°F
1050-1080°C under vacuum or protective gas, 15-20 min soak. Quench in air. Steel makers' note: stay near the low end, about 1940°F (1060°C), the temperature on Alleima's 19C27 sheet; the 1.4034 sheets stop at 1922°F (1050°C). Air quench works for thin stock; thicker billets want quench plates or a fast gas quench, because 19C27 has to drop below 1112°F (600°C) within about 2 minutes.
- 04
Deep freeze · right after the quench
The forge's hardening steps deep freeze straight after the air quench. Recommended, not required. Steel makers' note: about -94°F (-70°C), with no hold once it gets there.
- 05
Temper · 2 × 0.75 hr
356-374°F (180-190°C) for knife blades: 60-61 HRC. 2 hr at 572°F (300°C) for decorative pieces: 56-57 HRC. You can deep freeze again before the second temper.
From the BALBACHDAMAST® datasheets. The notes marked "steel makers' note" come from the 1.4034 and Alleima 19C27 datasheets, where the forge's inox sheet gives no detail. 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 122-140°F (50-60°C)
Fresh H₂SO₄ 15-20%, warmed in a water bath. Sulfuric cuts about 5 µm every 5 min; 20 min gives a deep etch.
- 03
Finish
Neutralize, then fine polish above 2500 grit until the contrast is where you want it.
- 04
Never on stainless
No ferric chloride. No muriatic acid.
Patterns
DSC® Inox patterns in stock
7 patterns are on the shelf in this steel right now, in widths from 20 to 60 mm (0.79-2.36 in).
Order DSC® Inox, 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® Carbon page