jarkman ([info]jarkman) wrote,
@ 2008-06-22 19:40:00
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Fun with Steel
Here's a pendant I made for Donna, for our wedding anniversary :




Made from Damasteel and swearing. The swirly pattern goes right through, like rock (well, like wood-grain, really), though it only shows like this when you etch it.

Also hard enough to resist meteorite strike, though I am not sure how important an attribute that is for jewellery.

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[info]meltie
2008-06-22 08:31 pm UTC (link)
*cor*.

That's beautiful.

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[info]hirez
2008-06-22 09:14 pm UTC (link)
Yes. Very much so.

One's personal effects should always be able to withstand adverse conditions.

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[info]lastaii
2008-06-22 09:23 pm UTC (link)
Wow, that's stunning! How did you do the swirly pattern?

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[info]lastaii
2008-06-22 09:27 pm UTC (link)
Doh, I just followed the clickys. Swirlyness comes form the steel forging process...

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[info]jarkman
2008-06-22 10:04 pm UTC (link)
Yes, you're right. I cheated. :-) Though the way the pattern is exposed changes what you get on the surface, so the grinding does make a difference. You can see the pattern getting finer as you go down the side slopes.

My forging only really thinned the stock out a bit and gave it an overall gentle dome shape, and you could get pretty much the same effect with nothing more than a bit of the right bar and an angle grinder. Followed by heat-treat and etch, of course.

Somewhere, I have a bit of the same stuff with no pattern, just alternating layers of the two steels. I could pattern that myself, with swirliness of my choice, subject only to the limitation of my cunningness and skill.

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[info]e_spy
2008-06-23 09:04 am UTC (link)
Very pretty! Now go and weld your own :)

I hope you've got it coated in something like a 2 pack lacquer - pattern-welded steel doesn't take too kindly to skin contact (and, as an aside - be aware that a number of the steels used for pattern welding have a moderate nickel content...!).

But 'tis a nice thing regardless.

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[info]jarkman
2008-06-23 11:04 am UTC (link)
I did look at the data sheet to check for nickel:
http://www.damasteel.com/pdf/93x-martensitic1.pdf
and it's OK. Their stainless damascus has a lot of nickel in, and they claim it's suitable for jewellery, but perhaps that is just optimism on their part.

The stuff is corrosion-resistant when hardened. I haven't coated it, and I guess we'll find out if that was wise or not eventually... :-)

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