1018 for a beginner?

[bwitty]

Would 1018 1/4" x 2" bars make for good steel for a beginner to try his luck at stock removal? I found a place that sells them in 12 foot bars for 18 bucks apiece.

 

[Matt Shade]

I don't think 1018 has enough carbon to harden properly. There's no point in going to all the work of grinding a blade if its not going to be usable when your done. You can get O1, 1095, 1084,5160 all for cheap, and end up with a very good knife.
Also, that size isn't really the best unless you plan on making big knives. I would recommend a blade in the 3" range for your first one, and 1/8" thick stock is plenty for that. Longer is harder to grind properly, and the heat treat gets more complicated too due to warping etc.

 

[Burchtree]

You could get it for tossing it into damascus, or for welding onto billets that will go into the forge.

 

[Laredo7mm]

I think that price is too high. You should be able to find it for around $0.20 per pound at a scrap yard. Each one of those bars should weigh about 20 pounds, so just less than $1.00 per pound. I would try to find some 1070 to 1095 for that price range and then you could make a hardenable blade out of it too.