1040/1045 Steel Question (BBQ set knife)

[blaksdc]

I found the various posts about this steel (good for axes hammers and such, almost not usable for knives, or at least sub optimal depending on the opinion), so I know it is not advisable to use for a general knife.
BUT I was thinking about forging a complete bbq set (fork, spatula and knife) with those twisted recurve handles, if you know what I'm talking about. Now, for that I think I need square stock or at least a very thick one. I couldn't find a place that sells square stock of high carbon steel (in Europe I have a hard time finding most steels), but I found this place that sells 0.5" square C40/C45 (1040/1045 equivalent) steel, about 1 $ per ft.
As I've said above, I know this steel is not optimal for a great edge holding knife, but would it work for this kind of knife?

TL;DR: Would it be okay for cutting only meat and vegetables?

 

[John mc c]

Are you sure there isn't o1 tool steel near you? I would be surprised if there wasn't
If not I'd send away for some decent steel for the knives and make the fork and spatula from that 1040

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I would bet you can find W1 or W2 in square stock, as well as O-1 as mentioned by John. Check welding suppliers and shop suppliers.

If you have to use the low carbon steel, make the spatula and fork from it as-is.
For the BBQ-knife - Take a piece of regular knife steel like 1080 nd forge weld it to the end of the 1040 bar. Forge the blade from the high carbon part, and the handle from the low carbon.

Another option would be to rough forge the blade from the 1040 bar and then carburize it either by case hardening with a torch and hard surfacing powder, or by case packing it in bone meal inside a clay casing.

A last choice is to forge the blade from the 1040 bar and leave it fairly thick at the edge. Harden with one of the recipes like "Goop", or "Superquench". Hardening it in brine would work, too. The edge may need re-sharpening more often, but for occasional use as a BBQ knife it will work fine.

 

[blaksdc]

Are you sure there isn't o1 tool steel near you? I would be surprised if there wasn't
If not I'd send away for some decent steel for the knives and make the fork and spatula from that 1040

I'll look around more, as I'm searching for a more "stable" supply, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the offer though! I must say, knifemaking community is one of the most helpful and nice I've interacted with. It's honestly heartwarming.

I would bet you can find W1 or W2 in square stock, as well as O-1 as mentioned by John. Check welding suppliers and shop suppliers.

If you have to use the low carbon steel, make the spatula and fork from it as-is.
For the BBQ-knife - Take a piece of regular knife steel like 1080 nd forge weld it to the end of the 1040 bar. Forge the blade from the high carbon part, and the handle from the low carbon.

Another option would be to rough forge the blade from the 1040 bar and then carburize it either by case hardening with a torch and hard surfacing powder, or by case packing it in bone meal inside a clay casing.

A last choice is to forge the blade from the 1040 bar and leave it fairly thick at the edge. Harden with one of the recipes like "Goop", or "Superquench". Hardening it in brine would work, too. The edge may need re-sharpening more often, but for occasional use as a BBQ knife it will work fine.

Yeah I was thinking about brine hardening too, But maybe I can try to find someone that sells thicker pieces of 1070, here in Italy it's one of the most commons, as it's kind of a traditional knife steel. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try them if I can't find it.

 

[A.McPherson]

1070 would be a good way to go! From what I understand you can get a pretty wicked hamon or of it sometimes too!!

 

[blaksdc]

1070 would be a good way to go! From what I understand you can get a pretty wicked hamon or of it sometimes too!!

Yeah they do! This is my first hamon. I tried it out on a dented old blade i forgot to heat treat some time ago. Not too bad for a first attempt.

Not to get too off topic, if I'll weld some high carbon steel on anyways, would it be fine to use mild steel like S235JR or a similar one for tongs and spatula? It shouldn't contain any lead or harmful components, so it should come out same as C45 i guess.