1.  Audra Draper – the first woman Master Smith in the
world.
2.  Beginning as a 37 layer stack of 15n20 and 1084
steel the Damascus is forged and the hydraulic
press used for the initial weld. Here the #25 “little
giant” trip hammer draws the billet, shaping the
knife.
4.  Holding the blade flat with the tongs, the belly of
the blade is drawn out. As this occurs, the drop in
the tip will rise up again.
3.  While holding the handle of the knife with a pair of
tongs, the tip is the first to began taking shape
dropping it down considerably.
5.  Next, the curves of the handle are forged a little
tighter, using the tip of the horn on the anvil.
6.  While holding the tip of the knife with the tongs
Audra can straighten the bow in the back of the
knife by hitting the inner curves of the handle. She
does this using the ball of the hammer.
7.  After making sure that the blade is shaping out as
planned, Audra makes certain that both blade and
handle are straight and flat.
Draper Progression Page 2