Hot take: I always thought Damascus steel was mostly for show, but reading a metallurgy paper from a German university changed my mind about its actual edge retention. | Blacksmiths - Thought Shares
Hot take: I always thought Damascus steel was mostly for show, but reading a metallurgy paper from a German university changed my mind about its actual edge retention.
The study showed a well-made pattern-welded blade can hold an edge 15% longer than a mono-steel blade of similar hardness, which really surprised me, so has anyone else found research that backs up or challenges traditional smithing wisdom?
Remember how we all used to make fun of the weird little holes in old game cartridges? I blew into them for years before I found out they were actually there to let air out when you pushed the cartridge in. It's funny how the most useful part of a design can look like a mistake until you see how it works.
Yeah, same here, @anthony_dixon. I always figured those little holes were just a design thing. Then I saw a video where someone actually used them to hang the controller on a wall hook by the trigger, which is pretty smart for keeping a setup tidy. Totally changed how I see that feature now.