Welded Damascus Razor Handle?

I was at the flea market on Saturday and found a seller with an assortment of steel items, knives mostly, but also a razor handle that looked really nice.  When I asked him what kind of material it was he said it was welded Damascus steel which I couldn't find any info on.  He said he has around 10 different handle styles to choose from and would bring samples of each to next week's flea market.

Does anyone know if welded Damascus steel is corrosion resistant?  I'm a fan of Damascus steel knives!

Thanks!

Damascus steel is a generic name for any patterned steel made by folding  and forging ( welded) steels of different qualities into one blank.  The process for making true Damascus steel is long lost except for the name. Any steel can rust, even stainless. It comes down to simple maintenance; a good cleaning ( an extremely hot water rinse will see the water evaporate before causing  rust) followed by a wipe with a soft cloth and light application of mineral oil should keep it looking beautifull.

Kav,

Somehow I expected some beautifully written synopsis of the melding of metals and raw, brute strength, when I saw that you had replied to my thread!

Thanks for the clear and concise explanation.  I thought I was missing something and it turned out I was!  Hopefully I'll be sporting a new handle or 3 after next Saturday.

Cheers!

I had a nice paella and Tempranillo for dinner after rereading DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON. I must have been channeling Papa replying.

Any stainless can corrode/rust. Varying steel grades in the Damascus will make it more prone to rust, but it's not an issue if you are aware of it. Kav gave great advice. Using a tiny amount of a microcrystalline wax such as Renaissance wax is another option. If you find maintenance too bothersome, you may also consider a thin layer of acrylic lacquer.

I had (S-I-L has it now) my Grandfather's 12 gauge side by side double shotgun. It had Damascus barrels and they sure did rust. Had to stay after them living in PA, but when we moved to AZ my maintenance dropped to the very occasional wipe with an oily cloth. Couldn't shoot it with modern loads containing fast burning, high speed powder, but could and did load some shells with black powder and shot it sucessfully w/o blowing my head off!

Crag,
      Post some Pics when you finally get to see them.

Jeff