440C From Admiral Steel

[therron258]

I am looking at getting a couple of pieces of 440C from Admiral. I noticed that a lot of people this steel surface ground. My question is, how big of an issue is it if I do not have access to a surface grinder, what can I expect in terms of size fluctuation throughout the 6' piece. Or, are these pieces generally pretty precisely ground, just maybe not EXACTLY .125" for 1/8" stick...

 

[Robert Erickson]

I bought some 440C from Admiral and while it was good steel it had mill scale on it. It was a bit of work to grind it off and make the surface even. I went through a few belts even before heat treatment. It might not be a big deal for a more experienced maker but as a newer maker it was time consuming for me. (I don't have a surface grinder either).

 

[elementfe]

I usually use a hand held angle grinder for the hard black scale. It makes deep scratches, so you have to allow for that and have a light touch, but it doesn't eat stone wheels or diamond disks the way it eats belts. Be sure to clamp it in a vise if you use that tool!