Knife maker in trouble...

[Ph34r]

Hi,

I have been doing bushcraft for a few years, but only recently got into knife making. I have previously made a karesuando kit - which recently was lost. I am planning to make a new knife, but have a few problems. I have my design ready, but am not sure what thickness of steel to use. I have a piece of sheet steel off an old (but never used) pollyfiller thing. It is more or less the right size, but only has a 1mm thickness. Is this enough (am guessing not). It does feel quite strong, but am guessing that 3mm is the size to be after.

This leads me onto the question:
Where can I get cheap sheet steel?

apologies for the wall of text,

Ph34r

 

[maddave]

Moras and the like are always a minimum of 2mm and the Frosts company have been making knives forever, so I'd tend to go with 2mm or above

 

[woodwalker1987]

i made a skinning knife from an old putty knife that i just put a wicked edge on and i must say it holds said edge very well! its 1mm thick if that and very bendy, perfect for the job maybe something to consider i.e. the use of the blade?

 

[Ph34r]

The blade is going to be a standard bushcraft knife (for wittling, cutting etc)

 

[sasquatch]

You can get O1 flat ground carbon steel in 3mm x 40mm x 500mm pieces for about £7 from Cromwells, look them up on tinternet and call your nearest one to make sure it's in stock first. If not they'll get it in next day. You could always try the 1mm, I've seen some decent working blades made from saw blades but 3mm is the thinnest I've used. I'm far from a pro but it works for me.

 

[woodwalker1987]

cool, i think i'll take that reccomendation too and see if i can turn out a half decent blade, just got access to a grinder so here we go!

 

[Ph34r]

I actually love the cromwell site. Thanks very much for the help guys!

 

[dazcon]

I would buy a piece of 3 or 4 mm 01 flat ground stock from Cromwells for your knife mate. The other steels you mentioned are of unknown quality and therefore probably unreliable. A lot of work goes into making a good knife so you don't want to be disappointed with the end result. 01 is strong and will hold a razor edge and can withstand a lot of hard use, it should also last a lifetime and will be far more valuable if you ever decide to sell it on.

Dazcon.

Here are a couple of my knives made from 01 toolsteel.
(http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51725)

 

[lannyman8]

fry an old file from a car boot will make a great blade, also an old circular saw blade.

old saw blade i just used for mine was 3.2mm thick i just cut it out heated to red and let cool slowly (this makes the metal soft) to work and shape the blade.

once shaped heat the blade keeping it moving to get an even heat then plundge into 70-80 deg c old oil (any will do) keeping the blade straight point down.

ensure the grind is the same on both sides or the blade will bend to 1 side.

my advise is take your time with a file and dont grid the blade at all with a grinder. this will give you the exsperiance needed now rather than later after you have messed up hours of work.

you will probably mess up the first few blades but keep with it and the time taken will pay of. just keep with it.

any pm are welcome for advise......chris....

 

[Whittler Kev]

Good advice going on here.
I prefer to use an old file but the 01 tool steel although costing dosh works real well.
As said, heat it up until it stops being magnetic then leave it to cool until the next day.
Then shape etc up to where its ready for the final sharpen. Heat until non m,magnetic and cool in old engine oil. re heat and re-cool. Clean up an put it in a pre-heated oven at 200 - 250 deg C oven for a couple of hours. Re clean, handle and sharpen. Should last for years, mine do
Search for Greenpete website how to make one just using hand tools and 12V electrics. It got me started

 

[bhofmann]

Going back to the original topic (thickness of the blade); the thing I noticed when first carving with my Mora 840 (ca. 2mm thick blade) is that if you use it like a draw knife, or press the blade forwards with your thumb, you soon realise that 2mm is thinner than your fingers like to press hard on. When I finally get around to making a knife I'm going to use a thicker file for the purpose for that very reason. The only issue I have now is that the files I bought at the car boot for making knives from will be more useful as files in the making of a knife than becoming knives themselves.

Whatever I decide to use, I'll try for a 3~5mm thick blade, but that's personal choice rather than based on experience or use.

 

[bushwacker bob]

I would go for 2 or 3mm steel max as your knife will be 25% lighter than 4mm, less metal to have to remove and more efficient for most bushy activities other than splitting logs or felling trees.(use an axe or billhook)
Old files are good provided they are not just case hardened (the outside only is hardened) They will need annealing first so they are soft enough to work.
3mm ground flat stock from Cromwells is the easiest was to go.