Damascus Puma

[A&E]

Someone gave this to me today.

I can't seem to find anything about it online. Anyone have any ideas? I keep finding knives with upside down shields!

It it bogus? Thanks.

[A&E]

I heard a suggestion that the Damascus might not be real . . . because it should go all the way to the edge of the blade . . . see how it doesn't? Is there any truth to that?

[Hukk]

I heard a suggestion that the Damascus might not be real . . . because it should go all the way to the edge of the blade . . . see how it doesn't? Is there any truth to that?

I don't know for sure but you can see where the grind starts, the pattern changes, as it should. If it were an acid etched blade (all damascus, rather pattern welded steel gets an etch), where the balde had been dipped in auqua-regia (nitric acid and hydrocholoric acid mix) there would be the same continuous pattern down the blade. This is one way to fake regular steel into "damascus".

Just because there is no pattern on the spine is not an accurate test either. This weekend I took 2 blades that did not have a pattern on the spine and etched the spine. I coated the sides of the blade with fingernail polish and etched the spine with ferric chloride, yep a pattern appeared.
Side note, YES, the fingernail polish was RED and I did get a little on 2 nails which I did not notice but a couple friends did. GONE NOW. I used gloves before the ferric chloride, didn't occur to me to use them while using fingernail polish.
For that particular knife, I can't say, someone more familiar with Puma might be able to tell you.
I do have 2 blades that are real pattern welded steel (Damascus) and they don't have lines to the edge, both are random patterns.

[A&E]

You are telling me that this blade is possibly authentic, and that if it was a "faked" damascus blade it would have a similar pattern all the way through, right? Some of what you are saying I don't understand, but I do understand that you were painting your fingernails red.

Try pink next time . . . it's more eye-catching.

[Hukk]

It's really hard to tell from a picture, but since you can see a pattern change at the grind, I'd guess it was real. There are a lot of ways to fake or simulate damascus, then there is some cheap offshore stuff that will look different. Really impossible to tell from a picture, but to answer your first post, no, I don't believe that because the pattern doesn't go all the way to the edge is a definite test of real or fake. Pattern welded steel is just that, some patterns are going to show differently once ground than others.

[justold52]

I was also told it is more imporant to know what to blade was made off.
Type of Steel?
Can you find any thing from the company on that?
Or is the only one you can find like it?
Hukk is this true too?