Thread: JHarriss Knives

I have been asked too list these knives on here.

JHarris knives new design blanks you pick handle material,
king fish fillet knife- Rewarewa handle
chef knife- rewarewa/whalebone
utility knife- pohutukawa
all for sale



New one of a kind Jarris knives,pocket knife, Pohutukawa and Puriri, two small knives lighter one Black Maire,c/o Ron Bruce, Akitio, darker one Oak from Ora Station C/o Jeff Bryan, All hand forged damascus steel.




If anyone is interested PM me and I will forward the email address

Cheers Dundee

They look expensive...!!!

What a beauty, almost too good to use. Is damascus steel a good practical metal?

Originally Posted by 300CALMAN

What a beauty, almost too good to use. Is damascus steel a good practical metal?

I asked the metallurgist at my work the same question and he said - only for the kitchen. Its carbon content will mean a lot of care to keep it from rusting in the field.

Very true scottrods,but its not hard to give it a oil just the same as when oiling your rifle do it at the same time. The reason I write this is your knife to me is part of your essential equipment and in a lot of cases its the least looked after.

You can get stainless Damascus. It looks mint!

Can someone point me in the direction when I can purchase one of her knives...I bought one when I was in NZ in April (J Harris I mean)

I am interested, bought on when I was in NZ last April and it has been difficult to find her 'site' Cheers

Originally Posted by janeian

I am interested, bought on when I was in NZ last April and it has been difficult to find her 'site' Cheers

Send me a pm and I will message her

Nice handles. Where do the blades come from?

For instance, Pakistani damascus is pretty shit.

Mandy hasn't got back to me but here is her email..... moo75@outlook.com

True historical damascus steel is long lost. The modern day usage of the word damascus simply refers to multiple layered steel that creates the nice looking layered patterns, not the choice of material.

I think almost any knife steel can be used for this effect. It is possible to use pure carbon steel, and it is possible to use stainless steel. What some knife makers do is use a tough high end steel for the core, and stainless steel for the outer layers so you get stain resistance for most part of the knife except the cutting edge, and the toughness, cutting and sharpening ability of non-stainless steel.

Functionally (modern day) damascus makes no difference.

Unless the knife maker tells you, there is no way to know what steel was used.

Can you define " true Damascus steel" please?
Was Indian wootz true Damascus sreel?
Are genuine traditional Japanese sword true Damascus steel?

@Friwi you are from Middle Earth, you should know all

Originally Posted by Friwi

Can you define " true Damascus steel" please?
Was Indian wootz true Damascus sreel?
Are genuine traditional Japanese sword true Damascus steel?

Q1, True Damascus?

I refer to wikipedia:

"Damascus steel was a type of steel used for manufacturing sword blades in the Near East made with wootz steel.[1] These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be tough, resistant to shattering and capable of being honed to a sharp, resilient edge.[2]
The steel is named after Damascus, the capital city of Syria. It may either refer to swords made or sold in Damascus directly, or it may just refer to the aspect of the typical patterns, by comparison with Damask fabrics (which are in turn named after Damascus).[3][4]
The original method of producing Damascus steel is not known. Modern attempts to duplicate the metal have not been entirely successful due to differences in raw materials and manufacturing techniques. Several individuals in modern times have claimed that they have rediscovered the methods by which the original Damascus steel was produced.[5][6]
The reputation and history of Damascus steel has given rise to many legends, such as the ability to cut through a rifle barrel or to cut a hair falling across the blade.[7]"

So if I was to define it, I would say it has to be, 1, produced before 1750, 2, from the damascus region, 3, the method of production is unknown.

Q2, was in Indian wootz true Damascus steel?

I never thought about this before. looking at wikipedia, it seems that damascus is based on, and a later development of, indian wootz.

Q3 , are traditional japanese sword (Nihonto) damascus?.

Given the above, I do not think it is definitionally possible for Nihonto to be damascus. But in any event Nihonto steel do not look like damascus. Japanese did not have access to more complex alloy, they got all their steel from iron rich river sand, and their steel making process only added carbon. They mastered 3 techniques which made Nihonto famous. The first is Hamon, or differential hardening. This technique originated from Chinese, it gives steel a hard edge and softer spine, and a visible wave like line. The second is folding. Basically they fold the steel to remove impurity and reduce carbon content down to what is needed. Folding introduces layers, but these layers are much lighter / less visible than what you get from damascus. The third is cladding. Using harder steel for the edge and softer steel for the core and side. there can be a visible line where the type layers meet. However usually there are only no more than 3 layers of cladding so you would not get very clear patterns like in damascus. Therefore true Nihonto will have visible lines but they are very light and usually run from top to bottom, not distinct and complex patterns like you get in damascus.