Common terms used in knife-making.
Damascus (Pattern-welded) Steel
Steel made with a wavy surface pattern produced by hammer-welding strips of steel and iron followed by repeated heating and forging, used chiefly for knife and sword blades. Such items were often marketed, but not necessarily made, in Damascus during the medieval period. Forms or styles of Pattern-welded steel include: Cable, Chainsaw, Roller Chain, Band Saw.
Masur Birch
Masur Birch is not a particular species of birch, but is rather a grain figure that is most commonly seen in Downy Birch and Silver Birch. It is also sometimes known as Karelian Birch—with Karelia being a region between Finland and Russia. Once surmised to have been caused by the boring larvae of a certain beetle, Masur Birch in Norway has been shown to be hereditary, classifying the name of the variant as Betula pendula var. Carelica. Regardless of the exact cause and makeup of the peculiar grain pattern, the resulting figure and appearance is very similar to burl wood or birdseye maple, though of a different origin. Masur Birch is commonly used for turned objects, decorative veneer, knife handles, and other small specialty items.
Billet
The unfinished stock of metal of a knife blade from which the knife maker forges into a knife.
Wootz Steel
A steel made anciently in India by crude methods in small crucibles according to the oldest known process for making fused steel.