Fake Damascus Is A Thing! 

I really didn't know there were fake damascus products. That's like 'aging' furniture by drilling 'worm' holes and beating them. Thanks for the info.

Just had a look on ebay and the first one I looked at did actually say " The blade is 7CR17 stainless steel, the surface of the laser Damascus pattern ". And another one said nothing other than "quality stainless steel". I think they're been downright bloody cheeky buggers, but obviously they've seen a market and gone for it, but I think they should be marketed as "laser etched patterned knives" rather than Damascus. Unfortunately that would probably take a quite large legal battle to enact, and if they're of Chinese origin, they'll just carry on as they are anyway, they just don't care so long as they make money.

I had seen the cheap “Damascus” knives and knew it could not be real - thank you for showing how it is faked!

I really like your typical video format of you making things on fast forward with no dialogue. I did really like hearing you narrate as well though. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this as long you keep doing your usual videos. Thanks. Love your show.

Please make more of these videos, where you talk and explain things you're doing or plan to do.

Yes I like the format. But then again, I like all your videos. Different formats don't bother me at all as long as you keep making videos.

I never thought about it... Makes sense!Thanks for the info brother!

Going to a kitchen supply shop and was looking at the Japanese kitchen knives, found it odd how the damascus pattern ended just before the handle. Even though the steel went on to become part of the handle. Thanks, this video proves that my suspicions were right

I did not know there was such a thing as fake Damascus, thank you for the video and this video format is excellent.

That vinyl cutter is amazing! So many applications.

Good info to have. I have seen Damascus blanks and billets for sale but that was from a steel manufacturer and they were not what I would call cheap.

I'm glad I saw this as I am in the market for a Damascus Katana and have seen some that I thought could be too good to be true for the price they were asking for them.

Love this kind of video. Any insights about steel working you can share without making a whole product is still really interesting

Great work to spread this sort of info on your channel. Thank you!

Laser cut is also a mechanism for cheap mass produced pseudo 'Damascus'. Looks pretty good unless examined closely!

Thanks for the info man, and great video consept. Learn about the shitty things people do and at the same time the folks who have not seen electro etching before get a short intro to that world. I especially liked the background music, perfect😉 keep it up man😁

I like hearing you talk! Great video and thanks for the info

I was wondering how many people were doing this as it would be easy to do once the technique was mastered. Thanks for bringing this to light!!!

It's a Black Beard world and we're just living in it! Whatever way you enjoy doing videos is great by me!

More investigations into cheap tricks, please!

Anyone who is interested in modern Damascus steel should read up on ancient Damascus steel. Around 500 B.C., iron was smelted in India where ingots of "Wootz steel" were produced and exported to the Levant. The authentic ancient Damascus steel was forged from these ingots. By experimentation, it was discovered that the swords that combined optimum flexibility and strength were made from iron that displayed a pattern of swirls caused by variations in the composition of the steel. That is because these swirls appear at a temperature close to the phase transition temperature that produces the best sword steel. Blacksmiths used the visibility of swirls as a guide to whether the steel was forged at the right temperature. Thus, the Damascene pattern became synonymous with quality steel. Modern Damascus steel is produced by the shortcut of forging together steels of different compositions, rather than having the patterns emerge from the relevant phase transition. Whether modern patterned steel is Damascus steel is subject to debate. It looks like Damascus steel, but for a different reason. A couple of Wikipedia articles cover some of this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz_steel#History

I really appreciate this information. I have wanted a blade made with Damascus steel for several years with the price being the reason why I'm still saving for it. I don't mind waiting since I have watched the forging process & hard work that goes into each one of these blades & it's a beautiful thing to see! I wish these fake Damascus blades would be required to be labeled as reproductions! Thanks for the warning.

Aw man, you should have accepted the promotion, and just called them out during the video, "Making Chinese Damascus"

A common method with Chinese blades (you see it a lot with cheap katanas being advertised as being "pattern welded" or "damascus") is making "pucker steel" where a bunch of grooves are ground or milled into a plain steel bar, then it is heated and fluxed up and smashed flat again with a power hammer. After etching it looks convincingly like it was pattern welded. Really, it is just esthetic and it looks nice but, like you said, you get what you pay for and should be aware of what you are buying. More scrupulous sellers will say that it is made from "pucker steel". But if you have to ask yourself, "How can this nice looking knife be so cheap?" then it is probably not authentic.

Hi Black Beard I0ve been following you for a very long time now and I really like what you do because I also have a passion for blacksmithing and for making stuff. I really liked that you started to talk to us about something and in particular I liked you pointed out this argument because I was thinking about buying one of those cheap knives since i thought it was "industrial" but real damascus. Keep doing your amazing job and I wish you will tell us someting more about yourself in the future

I knew there was fake stuff out there, but I didn't know it was that easy to fake, good video man, keep em coming.

I like these short form videos, very informative.

Please! More like this and thanks for sharing and educating! Best!

People need to know about fake damascus! Makes it hard for us knifemakers!

I will start checking more closely now that I know what to look for. Thank You Sir

Tu queste cose non le fai !!! Sei un mito !! Un abbraccio

Personally I think that it's a cool little trick electro-etching a pattern into steel. But my preference is making things the old way, or buying blades that are actually pattern welded... Well I sort of cheat and use a power hammer as I'm getting old... I guess it's not really cheating, as I just use tools that make my job a little easier and efficient. Anyhow nice little bit of information there Looking forward to your next build ^.^

The store's website was shown. You can link to the website where you can buy such knives.

Cool content, just got my first welder so learning about Damascus steel. I mostly like watching the maker process but its cool to share wisdom tool esp if it teaches about Amazon's hijinks.

Like many of the other commenters I had no idea there was such a thing as fake Damascus, but I always wondered how some of them could be so inexpensive. Thank you for educating us!

Always good to get heads up about scams out there. Thanks!

Great vid...full of useful information.

Thanks for the knowledge Sir !!!!!!!!!

I have to say i throughly enjoy your content.

Great video! Is it true that the real recipe for Damascus steel is lost and we only have the technotropy of making? Cant decide with Google and im collecting opinions!

like others, i had no idea this was a thing. i really appreciate you sharing this! very interesting! and as for the format, i dig it. have a great day!

Good Afternoon , Great Video , Glad to see you spreading important information to the people out here ! Some of those fakes can fool the Experts ! Everyone has to Watch Carefully what they BUY ! THANKS AGAIN !

The format is great. No issues at all. When are you going to make a straight razor? I love to see custom razors made. I own two $5 chinese Gold Dollar razors I customized, sharpened and honed myself. Not much to look at, TBH, but they work just fine!

Thank you for the information and the warning.

Love your videos, gave me great ideas I applied to restoration projects that I do on knives and tools. Keep it up as long as you can. Thank you!

Thanks for making other informative about this. I knew there’s a lot of fake Damascus out there. The price is a dead giveaway. But as comments show, lots of people didn’t know about this.

Whoa the illusion is really good

Interesting! I must admit to having wondered how they got some of those knives so cheap and your explanations have answered that! Thanks bro :)

If you didn't know..now you know... And knowledge is power!

Shoot, If you would have told me, I would have lasered a knife to make fake Damascus. lol

I like the format. :)

Good to know. Thanks!

That's crazy. Thanks for the info. Love all you videos. Keep them coming.

this is a bit of a change from most of your projects. generally you add an element of humor to your vids. but i have to hand it to you BB, this more intimate and personal vid was quite a nice change. i think you should do more vids in this manner, especially when it is instructional and something you personally feel needs to be discussed.

Damascus is not a steel, its a steel forging technique. So therefore it cant realy be faked unless you painted or etched wavy patterns onto the steel. You either have good quality damascus or bad quality damascus.

Thanks! Great info.

Great information, thanks to you

I really enjoyed this, I was interesting and I definitely learn something good to know. I didn't know fake damascus was a thing, now I know what to look for. Thanks!

Friends gave me some damascus knives, it looks real but I suspect are fake just because of the price they paid. You can etch any raised complex patterns on steel. That's a real cheap alternative to real damascus steel. It isn't wrong as well as they don't sell them as real damascus steel but as damascus looking steel.

So could you take a scenery sketch with say trees and a house and etch it into a blade hardened steel or even someone's face?

Thank you for the info. really helpful!!!!

Thanks for posting this. Their is a lot of impostors out there. I enjoy your vids and often can't wait to see the next one. I hope you keep posting for many years to come. Will from Akron Ohio USA

Nice video! "Hey I'm Bob and I Like To Make Stuff"

;) dokładnie takie noże kupiłem do kuchni ;) Pozdrawiam Dzięki za otwarcie oczu. (PL)

Thanks for the info 😁👍

Great video and thank you for the warning!

Thank you for the PSA. I have seen said cheap knives all over the place... I didn't bother purchasing them just due to the common sense factor...no Damascus would be that cheap... though to be fair I only knew how much work went into real Damascus because I watch Black Beard Projects and Alec Steele videos.

I like the video and how you put the fake out their instead of signing on to get paid. Respect my friend and i really enjoy your videos, but I can't watch a cell out. that would make me a cell out.

Guardo i tuoi video da qualche mese (soprattutto quelli vecchi) e ne ho visto uno in cui tagliavi uno scontrino di acqua e sapone, quindi sei italiano giusto?

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the information sir.

It doesnt look like real damascus to me ,but If you would make more difficult patterns and practise some, it could look fearly simular to real damascus

Always interested in your content!

I mean all Damascus is fake, the pattern on wootz/damascus isn't from pattern welding.

I'm often surprised at the availability of inexpensive "Damascus" knives. Besides what you describe, I believe that it can be produced cheaply by using substandard ingredients in places where labor is dirt cheap, especially in knives where quality of manufacture is mediocre at best.

I love any video you make

Thank you from he far side of the world! Garry from Sydney Australia

Thanks. Good info...

good video - thank you

Good job 👍

what is that etching box? any DIY on it?

thank you so much. good work sir

thanks for sharing that

Isn't all modern damascus technically fake?

merci!

Great video. Thank you! This technique is good for many projects

As a fan of actual damascus I feel dirty 'liking' this video.... of well.

I actually have one of these fake Damascus knives. Only paid a few bucks for it, but I was suspect as soon as I saw it.

nice!!

My friend we need more restoration videos

*Fake pattern welding Fake Damascus is nearly the entire market. Recreation wootz is extremely rare, if not impossible, to buy. I've only come across a few knives that claim to be actual wootz. They were very expensive and probably fake anyways.

Would have liked to see you make it into a knife or blade for comparison. Would make for a great video.

I knew they were up to something!

I like you calling out fake ass products

Thats interesting!

There are cheap sources of real patterned welded steel from places like India, so a " Damascus" knife for $50 is not impossible. I would not doubt there are Damascus look knives that are just etched patterns.

Awesome stuff man, I never knew... :) Gooood shit Gader!! :)

Yeah it’s everywhere

Yes I watched all bub like always. I like this kind of videos. Its screwed up how they try and get people like that. If u don't know what to look for then u will pay for it thanking u just got a great deal when u just got screwed. So this video should help someone out.

The same they sold in aliexpress for just £30