A n00b that needs help

[[H]ardwaremanic]

I'm sure this has been asked hundreds of times on here, but what is a good steel to use as a starter? I want overall strength and ability to hold an edge well. I've looked at all FAQ's and tutorials. I know how to make the blade, but haven't been able to determine the sttel I want to use. It's probably going to be a tanto, because I figure grinding straight edges are a little easier to do that curves. And thanx in advance!

 

[Mike Hull]

Welcome to BFC. If you are looking for a steel that you can temper yourself, then O1, 1095, 1084, 5160, are all good steels that are fairly easy to heat treat, and are forgiving of mistakes.
If you want more stain resistance, then 440C, or ATS34 would be fine. Problem with stainless is, it's much harder to heat treat at home, without a proper heat treating oven. even with, it's no picnic.
http://www.cancom.net/~hnilica/metals.html#metal2

 

[Scott Fulford]

I started out using old files which are usually W-2,you have to anneal them before grinding but they are cheap and plentiful,if you want to order bar stock,O-1 is nice and doesnt warp in the quench.
1084 and 1095 are quite inexpensive and make really nice blades.
If you dont mind sending your blades out to be heat treated 440c is easy to grind and gives quite satisfactory performance,plus it is rust resistant.
Scott

 

[rlinger]

Upon good advise from fellows here - and Mike Hull (above) was one of the first to help me-, I started with O1. I think it a good steel to start with and continue to sometimes use. It is also a convienient steel to use in making shop tooling, so it is well worth while to get aquainted with early.

Roger