1 or 2 ?'s

C

cattrapper

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May 5, 2009
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1 fast question for the makers, i have been making knives out of files an sawblades for a few years . as a hobby. but what i want to ask is what steel wood be the best to start with ? i have very basic tools nothing fancy, i just want to make some good quality hunting ntype knives for myself and a few friends. does anyone of the makers on here sell blade blanks . thanks in advance guys.
 
Jantz and Texas Knife supply both sell blade blanks. If you've done files and saw blades, why not just get yourself some 1080 bar stock from Kelly Cupples?
 
I agree, get some 1080 from Kelly if you're wanting carbon steel, you'll be happy. If you want stainless, I suggest 440C from AKS as a fairly inexpensive, good quality starting point.
 
I just bought 8 bars of Admiral Steel 1084 closeout for $80. In total I got 40 ft of steel, which was cheaper than Kelly the day I ordered it. I bet it is still cheaper, depending on your location.

Keep in mind: Kelly is located in Washington state. If you are near the area, shipping is a lot cheaper, but for me, it would be $27+ unless you get $100 or more of steel, then it's free. Admiral is located in Illinois, so if you are near Illinois, it is cheaper.

One more thing: admiral 1084 closeout is HR, so it is not as smooth as precision ground. It is also not annealed, so it is harder to work.
 
I've always ordered enough to get free shipping, so I can't say about that. 1084 does not usually come PG from any place, nor do other 10xx steels in my experience. Some will come with a much better finish than others, but none that I've seen is PG. Maybe Sheffields would have some like that.

Kelly's steel comes annealed and I've never had any trouble using it. The Admiral steel was always fine for me, but I haven't bought any from them in 5 years. I have had some very clean CR 1084 from them.
 
the carbon steel is what i want i just wasnt sure which one would be better thid will be my first try at annealling an then tempering . i never done that to any of the knives that i made in years past. thanks for the help guys.
 
AcridSaint said:
I agree, get some 1080 from Kelly if you're wanting carbon steel, you'll be happy. If you want stainless, I suggest 440C from AKS as a fairly inexpensive, good quality starting point.
Click to expand...

And how can Kelly be reached?
 
I agree that 1070-1084 is a good start because of it's easy heat treat. Good performance, too.
 
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