supplies for knife steel

[troy]

After trawling through countless knife tutorials, I sort of been converted and wanna try some of them out.
I like the idea of cutting/shaping and filing down steel blanks which I have the tools to do - problem is which steel to use, I know about and have some old flat file but wondered if there is somewhere that sales flat steel just for this purpose.
I'd then use a simple forge to heat treat the finished knife or give them to the local blacksmith which is more likely.

Oh and if anybody has got a few old flat file lying around, I'd be interested in a trade.

 

[robin wood]

Files are variable. If you have a forge and want to use recycled steel I would highly recommend old coil springs which make good knives forge easily and heat treat well.

I am lucky living near to Sheffield where there are lots of tool steel stockholders, you really need mail order and I think most of the amateur knife makers use Cromwells. O1 is the best steel to start with a plain high carbon steel that is easy to heat treat.

 

[FerlasDave]

you could always go to the local scrapyard and look for old leaf springs, they work really well for knife blades.

 

[NatG]

i've got loads of bits and bobs lying around, drop me a pm with what you want and we can sort something out.

Nathan

 

[troy]

cheers for yourt replys

Robin, when you mentioned 01 - would you mean something like this - http://www.cromwell.co.uk/CTL4133201B.

I guess NatG, whats shown in the link above from cromwells would be the ideal sort of material for me, just plain flat ready to cut and file - to experiment making knives like these - http://www.sterlingsculptures.com/R...ed_Steel_folder/knapped_steel_tutorial_01.htm.

 

[launditch1]

Have a look on ebay for stuff called 'gauge plate'.This is 01 and available in decent lengths too.

 

[Mike Ameling]

The simplest source of good steel to play around with to make knives is as close as your push lawn mower. Those blades are generally made of 1084 or 5160 tool steel. They also run between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick, with 3/16 being very common. And 2 to 4 inches wide by 24 to 36 inches long. The hardest part is working around those center mounting holes and any numbers/words stamped into the blade.

But you can pick them up for free or scrap prices. That's a lot of material to ... play with. Go to a place that sells/services lawn mowers and ask about picking through their scrap pile of old blades. Or you could go right to the store and buy a new blade. You get a lot of good steel for a pretty low price. 1084 or 5160.

And a lot of agricultural steel is 1080 - especially stuff made by the Weiss Corp. Things like bolt-on plow shares, chisel/cultivator points, And don't forget those replacement hay rake teeth. They only tend to be 1/4 or 3/8 inch round stock, but you end up with around 3 feet of good tool/spring steel by the time you heat them up and straighten them out. They work like 1095 carbon steel.

And also check out the Disc Mower Knives at the farm store. Probably 1080, but I'm not quite sure. I forged up the little knife blade from 1/2 of the Disc Mower Knife shown.

Hope this helps. And good luck on your project.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[NatG]

yep o1 would be a perfect starting point for you

 

[Snufkin]

Cromwells are good folks to deal with and there's no minimum quantity, which is nice if you only want to do a couple of knives. The steel is annealed so you can go straight to work on it. Old lawn shear blades are good and I've made some nice stuff from an old spade.

 

[Simon]

Files are variable. If you have a forge and want to use recycled steel I would highly recommend old coil springs which make good knives forge easily and heat treat well.

yes, Files are variable, Robin, but old ones are pretty consistent. Springs would be good too if you have the facilities to forge.

I'd go down the O1 route to begin with

I'd then use a simple forge to heat treat the finished knife or give them to the local blacksmith which is more likely.

The vast majority of blacksmiths (but not all) are not going to know a great deal about heat treating.

plenty of info on heat treating O1 over on Brrrrrrrrr ....

Brrrrr......

Brrrr....... blllllll .....

:bluThinki

Nope, can't bring myself to say it :yelrotflm