I want to make my own knife and time is not a problem so I'd rather make my own blade rather than buy one ready done. So where can I buy the steel from?
Who supplies steel for knife blades
- Thread starter boisdevie
- Start date
Cromwells are good if they have what you want and you can get to a local depot. If you are looking for more than one piece (to allow for cock-ups 
) then it might be worth looking at http://www.toolsteels.co.uk/pricelists.htm#
Look under "Ground Flat Stock". They tend to be cheaper than Cromwells and whenever I've ordered from them they post the steel out for about £8 P+P. If you are buying more than a couple of bits when you spread the cost of the P+P between them it can work out quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else I know of.
) then it might be worth looking at http://www.toolsteels.co.uk/pricelists.htm# Look under "Ground Flat Stock". They tend to be cheaper than Cromwells and whenever I've ordered from them they post the steel out for about £8 P+P. If you are buying more than a couple of bits when you spread the cost of the P+P between them it can work out quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else I know of.
I buy my new steel here in the States from Admiral Steel Online, in Palatine Illinois. I don't know if they ship across the big pond. They have a section that sells steels to knife makers, and in small quantities. I buy all my HR 1095 carbon steel from them to make my flint strikers, but they carry all the various steels that knife makers want.
One very good source of steel to play around with is Lawn Mower blades - either new or used. They generally are 1084 or 5160 steel. You can usually get used blades for free just for the asking. But you can also buy a new blade. You will end up with a strip of tool steel around 2 to 3 inches wide, about 3/16 inch thick, and 18 to 20 inches long. That's a lot of material to "play" with, and for not a lot of money. You will have to anneal it first, and flatten out the bends they put into it. I pick up the used ones whenever I can. I make small knives and woodworking tools out of them, but mostly I make flint strikers out of them. Great material to work with, and mostly FREE. You can do stock-removal to grind out your knife blade, or forge it to shape.
Also check out your local farm equipment store. Look for new replacement parts like hayrake teeth, plow shares, chisel points, mower knives, sickel teeth. They generally are made from 1080 carbon steel. That's only a little less carbon content than 1095, but will still make a great knife. You will generally have to forge the blade shapes you want out of the farm equipment parts - because their sizes and shapes won't work well for stock-removal knife making. Those plow shares can be 1/2 inch thick, and 6 inches wide by almost 20 inches long.
Just some options to consider.
Thanks
Mike Ameling
One very good source of steel to play around with is Lawn Mower blades - either new or used. They generally are 1084 or 5160 steel. You can usually get used blades for free just for the asking. But you can also buy a new blade. You will end up with a strip of tool steel around 2 to 3 inches wide, about 3/16 inch thick, and 18 to 20 inches long. That's a lot of material to "play" with, and for not a lot of money. You will have to anneal it first, and flatten out the bends they put into it. I pick up the used ones whenever I can. I make small knives and woodworking tools out of them, but mostly I make flint strikers out of them. Great material to work with, and mostly FREE. You can do stock-removal to grind out your knife blade, or forge it to shape.
Also check out your local farm equipment store. Look for new replacement parts like hayrake teeth, plow shares, chisel points, mower knives, sickel teeth. They generally are made from 1080 carbon steel. That's only a little less carbon content than 1095, but will still make a great knife. You will generally have to forge the blade shapes you want out of the farm equipment parts - because their sizes and shapes won't work well for stock-removal knife making. Those plow shares can be 1/2 inch thick, and 6 inches wide by almost 20 inches long.
Just some options to consider.
Thanks
Mike Ameling
