ABOUT DAMASCUS

DAMASCUS STEEL

Legend has it that a special kind of steel was used in ancient times for sword and knife making. This steel was reputed to be superior in sharpness, flexibility and strength to anything else made at the time and it was thought to have originated in Damascus. Blades made with it displayed a distinctive 'marbled' appearance.

Similar techniques involving the layering, folding and forging of different qualities of steel resulted in Japan in the development of the legendary ‘Samurai’ swords of Japanese warriors.

With the help of modern technology this ancient art evolved in Japan to result today in knife steel acknowledged to be the best in the world.

NAIFU D67 blades are formed from multiple layers of complimentary stainless knife steel compressed around a central high carbon (VG10) core. Tempered to a high hardness rating (HRC 58-60) the blades acquire ‘surgical’ sharpness that is very enduring and readily regained when necessary with a few gentle stokes through the NAIFU sharpener.

(VG-10 is a unique formulation of steel with a high carbon content, and containing various amounts of the following: Chromium, Vanadium, Molybdenum and Cobalt. The steel is specially designed for high-quality blades such as NAIFU chef's knives. VG-10 is often called "super steel," because it is designed to maintain sharpness and durability without becoming brittle, a major fault normally associated with exceptionally hard steel. This quality is ideal when extreme sharpness is desired, as most other steel will not take or keep an edge like VG-10. When this type of steel is used in a knife, it is normally encased in layers of steel providing greater corrosion-resistance, leaving only the "super steel" exposed at the edge for fine cutting).

The distinctive marbled appearance of the blades is the result of having been treated with a mild acid to reveal the detail of the layering of the different steels.