Hit 500 damascus billets this month and didn't expect it to feel this different

I counted up my orders from the last two years and realized I've folded over 500 damascus billets in that time. It hit me that my pattern control got way more consistent somewhere around billet 400 without me even noticing. Has anyone else hit a random number like that and seen a big jump in their skill level?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot24d agoMost Upvoted

And here I was thinking 500 billets just meant I'd be really good at folding laundry by now. But seriously, that moment when skill sneaks up on you is the weirdest part of this craft. What kind of patterns are you seeing that shift in consistency on?

joel_butler24d ago

Start noticing how the really small stuff starts being the place where you see the big changes. Like the way the steel folds over during the first weld, or how the edge lines match up after a draw. That shift is when your hands start doing things your brain hasn't figured out yet. You're not thinking about the moves anymore, you're just watching them happen and wondering when you got that good. It's a weird feeling but it's the best sign you're actually getting somewhere.