A day at the grinder......

jll346

jll346

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
4,630
Spent the day at my new KMG. I went thru 9' of O1 and a few belts. Everything looks like a knife but definately a long, long way to go. I would do one side and actually scare myself that it came out so good. But then would not get the same results on the opposite side. Oh well. Practice,practice,practice. I think I am going to get some 1095 from Admiral as it is cheaper to learn on. Plus a Harbor Freight Bandsaw. This hacksaw stuff sucks on the bigger stock!
 
Go to Home Depot and get the cheap 1 x 1/8" steel they carry. This stuff is cheap and makes for great practice materials. It's like $5 for for a 6 foot piece.

Bill
 
CigarMan said:
Go to Home Depot and get the cheap 1 x 1/8" steel they carry. This stuff is cheap and makes for great practice materials. It's like $5 for for a 6 foot piece.

Bill
Click to expand...

I need the steel already annealed as I have no oven. YET!:D That's why I am not using old/used steel.
 
The welding steel he's talking about is low-carbon mild steel. It is soft enough to work easily as it is, no need to anneal it. Of course you can't harden it either, that's why he said it's for grinder practice.
 
I always see it in the store but never knew if it would be ok to grind. I will go get some in the morning and save my O1 for some knives down the road. Thanks for the help.
 
I'm so cheap I cut up the 1/4" plywood parts of the crate and ground out some knives :D they make good templates too ;)
 
If I don't become decient fairly quick I too may resort to wood. I bought almost 40' of O1 but don't want to waist it if I do not have to.
 
I am going to offer a slightly different perspective. This is predicated on the basis that you will be interested in doing your own heat treat.

First off, for reasons that have been well explained here, the eutectoid steel 1075/1080 requires essentially no soak and is at the correct temperature for quench when it becomes non-magnetic. It can be heated with the simplest apparatus, a torch or one-brick forge. It also has a longer time to get quenched properly. Properly HT'd, it makes a very good blade. It is preferable over 1095 for the beginner, which takes substantial skill to realize its full potential.

I just checked Admiral Steel and they want $7.17 for a 5 foot bar of 1" 1075, not substantially more than HD crappo-grade practice steel. (Plus the ever-present S/H of course).
http://www.admiralsteel.com/pdf/bladesteel.pdf

I recommend doing your practice on 1075 because:
1) As you work your way practicing making KSOs (Knife Shaped Objects), you will have a steel available that you can also practice heat treating. Better that than botching the first good blades.
2)Should you grind something you are happy with, it will have the potential to be a knife if you can HT it properly. If it is practice steel, it will never be anything but a KSO.

I am not arguing that the idea of practice steel is bad, just that I personally see advantages to using knife steel that still won't break the bank.

Just my .02.

Edited to add: I was typing this as Joe was suggesting wood. Wood is not a bad idea. It teaches fine control.
 
Jll346,I think everyone experiences what you are going through. I read something here and it worked for me.... Usually it is one side that gives you trouble. Usually the same side. Do your hard side first and then try to match it with your easy side.
Hope this helps,
Matt Doyle
 
Thankyou for the last two postas. Two great ideas.
 
I'm with Fitzo. Practise on knife grade steel. 1075/1080/1084 can be had for very little money, and will make a good knife. If all you ever want out of life is to grind, then practise on anything.....if all you want out of life is to make knives, practise on knife steel!
Check in the for sale forum. Bruno and Mace sell 1080/1084 in quantity quite reasonably.
Stacy
 
Ditto on wood!

For practice grinding...try using wooden paint stirrers. They are very cheap...if not free. They don't wear your belts, but the nicest part is that they will really expose and exagerate your weaknesses such that once you get a feel for the control in soft wood....steel will be a cake-walk because everything will happen slower and smoother.

-Rob
 
A band saw is useful, but for cutting steel, flat or round stock, a 41/2" right angle grinder, with a 6" thin kerf cutting disk attached is the best outfit for the money.

Don't forget to put some grease into your new KMG. Enjoy yourself, Fred
 
Can you guys tell me the difference between HT'ing 1095, and 1075/1080? I'm confused because I see analyses that say 1080 sometimes actually has more carbon than 1095; and I've often read that 1095 is very forgiving for a newbie to HT.
 
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