Do I need to run my mill or lathe slower than normal to avoid delamination?

This really depends on where you’re purchasing your Damascus and Mokume-Gane. In our opinion, you shouldn’t have to worry about the material ripping apart and potentially damaging your machine, or, worse, causing injury. When Damascus is made correctly, the layers fuse and cannot be torn apart. While it’s always possible for a smith to have a “bad batch,” we can proudly say that in the 3 years since we’ve been running Vegas Forge, we have had exactly 0 instances where our product failed and delaminated. That’s why our preparation and process is so meticulous. Because it’s impossible to spot a delamination before it occurs – unless you have an x-ray machine lying around in your shop, anyway – we recommend that you ask around to see what other machinists have experienced with various brands of Mokume and Damascus. Remember that most delaminations occur during machining, and if a brand has had multiple delaminations, it’s likely that there are many weak points in their materials.