Alpha Knife Supply steel sizes? Need some help

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blandies

Joined
Aug 18, 2011
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I do not know which steel size to get from AKS for making some knives. I've been told to get 1/8" or 3/16" for regular sized blades but on alpha knife supplies website it measures the steels differently such as ".118" thickness" instead of saying 1/8" or 3/16".

How do I know which is which size? Some sort of conversion involved? Please excuse my ignorance, I grew up all of my years & never learned a darned thing involving measurements, tools and so on other than regular feet and inches.
 
.125" is 1/8", .250" is 1/4" you can go to online conversion.com for all different conversions.
 
Basic math really.

1/8" = .125"
3/16" = .1875"
 
Find an on-line drill chart and print it off for referance. .118 is close enough to 1/8 inch for most peoples uses. A trained eye might notice it's a little thin, or if you saw it next to a real 1/8 peice you might see the differance.
 
Just start with .500 being 1/2 inch, then you can break it down from there. If point .500 is 1/2" then half of that, or .250 is 1/4", and half of that, .125 is going to be 1/8" all the way down the line. Chuck's steel bar stock is not precision ground, but he is very accurate and precise with his measurements when he lists product for sale, so you are going to get the exact thickness, not a ballpark. Once you get it, you will have to remove some steel if you want a nice, smooth finish and the barstock will be closer to a standard thickness like 1/8" or 5/32" but Chuck always tells you exactly what you are buying from him before any work has been done to it.
 
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jonnymac44 said:
Chuck's steel bar stock is not precision ground, but he is very accurate and precise with his measurements when he lists product for sale, so you are going to get the exact thickness, not a ballpark. Once you get it, you will have to remove some steel if you want a nice, smooth finish and the barstock will be closer to a standard thickness like 1/8" or 5/32" but Chuck always tells you exactly what you are buying from him before any work has been done to it.
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Since I am a beginner should I find another source for steel? Or is non-precision ground steel not that big of a deal? When I used to sand wood I could never get it nice and flat on a belt sander. I don't see it being too much of a problem.? All I hear from AKS is all good.
My guess is make a jig for the 2x42 to get the steel flat?
 
blandies said:
Since I am a beginner should I find another source for steel? Or is non-precision ground steel not that big of a deal? When I used to sand wood I could never get it nice and flat on a belt sander. I don't see it being too much of a problem.? All I hear from AKS is all good.
My guess is make a jig for the 2x42 to get the steel flat?
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The vast majority of steel is not precision ground , if it is it'll be stated so . Buy O1 it's precision ground look at Aldo for steel too.
 
duffy99 said:
The vast majority of steel is not precision ground , if it is it'll be stated so . Buy O1 it's precision ground look at Aldo for steel too.
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I contacted Aldo & he was supposed to give me a quote & never got back with me. I did like AKS because they sell smaller quantities of which I can afford as I go.
 
blandies said:
Since I am a beginner should I find another source for steel? Or is non-precision ground steel not that big of a deal? When I used to sand wood I could never get it nice and flat on a belt sander. I don't see it being too much of a problem.? All I hear from AKS is all good.
My guess is make a jig for the 2x42 to get the steel flat?
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Don't let the fact that it's not precision ground turn you off to AKS. Most steel, like mentioned above, isn't precision ground.

As far as surface grinding your steel without a surface grinder, a granite surface plate is a good way but can take a lot of time. I usually rough grind the surface smooth on the blet grinder and then finish on the granite surface plate. In order to grind the flats on your belt grinder, I would suggest getting a heavy duty welder's magnet to hold the blade blank so you can hold it right up against the platen.
 
Jantz supply huge selection of steel in sizes you can afford bing bang done , Google is really cool.
 
I have been to Jantz & every other company recommended to me on top of plenty of websites I found myself who'm of which sell steel. AKS Vs Jantz...still not precision ground which is what I was concerned over, something always pops up in a thread of a question that lead to questions. I use google consistently, don't worry I always search google and then the forums before I ask a thing to prevent hearing things like "google works wonders" "just google it" and so on. I am aware of Google and Yahoo searching.

A granite surface plate is just a perfect flat surface so how would one grind steel flat on one? Keep on sanding on the slab itself with sandpaper until the steel doesn't rock/tilt?
 
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I'm not trying to start something with you , a granite slab with 50/60/80 grit sandpaper taped , glued adhesive to it . The magnet holds your profiled blade and you sand it until it is all flat . Unless it's really warped it'll get sanded off during the process of making the knife to some degree , it might not be 100% .
 
duffy99 said:
I'm not trying to start something with you , a granite slab with 50/60/80 grit sandpaper taped , glued adhesive to it . The magnet holds your profiled blade and you sand it until it is all flat . Unless it's really warped it'll get sanded off during the process of making the knife to some degree , it might not be 100% .
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Oh I know, I just did not want members thinking I don't search before posting. The slab idea sounds good, a lot better than holding the blade blank against my 2x42 platen with a magnet. I will probably look for a granite slab and flatten the entire bar stock I have/get in with the taped sandpaper method.
Thanks.
 
blandies said:
Oh I know, I just did not want members thinking I don't search before posting. The slab idea sounds good, a lot better than holding the blade blank against my 2x42 platen with a magnet. I will probably look for a granite slab and flatten the entire bar stock I have/get in with the taped sandpaper method.
Thanks.
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Blandies,
Don't be worried about the magnet method. Surface plates are great, I use one all the time but a good welder's magnet is a great addition to your shop. If you're worried about the knife coming free, don't be. My welder's magnet has 120 lbs. of pull and holds the blade VERY firmly. If you really push into the grinder and get it too hot, it will weaken the magnet's pull, but with reasonable use it is a great method and you shouldn't rule it out. If you plan on getting all of your steel nice and flat and smooth using only paper and the surface plate, you will be at it for a very long time!:)
 
jonnymac44 said:
Blandies,
Don't be worried about the magnet method. Surface plates are great, I use one all the time but a good welder's magnet is a great addition to your shop. If you're worried about the knife coming free, don't be. My welder's magnet has 120 lbs. of pull and holds the blade VERY firmly. If you really push into the grinder and get it too hot, it will weaken the magnet's pull, but with reasonable use it is a great method and you shouldn't rule it out. If you plan on getting all of your steel nice and flat and smooth using only paper and the surface plate, you will be at it for a very long time!:)
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My concerns were firstly the blade profile being wider than the 2x42 belt so when it grinds it would make the contacted knife flat but the rest of the knife not in contact with the belt will remain uneven.
Secondly I have pyraceram on my platen, I feel the welding magnet would put so much force in between the knife and platen that the glass breaks.
 
I've never heard of the glass platen breaking in that situation, but who knows???

As far as blade width, I see what you're saying now. Yes, if you're working on a knife that has a profile taller than two inches, the magnet method won't work:( Maybe Beaumont will come out with a 4 x 72 KMG someday!!:D
 
jonnymac44 said:
I've never heard of the glass platen breaking in that situation, but who knows???

As far as blade width, I see what you're saying now. Yes, if you're working on a knife that has a profile taller than two inches, the magnet method won't work:( Maybe Beaumont will come out with a 4 x 72 KMG someday!!:D
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Well at least this old brain is considering safety as a big factor :) Wouldn't want glass being darted at me!
If this bar stock not being flat is such a common issue how do all of these other beginners make really good knives that they get flat is my question.
 
blandies said:
Well at least this old brain is considering safety as a big factor :) Wouldn't want glass being darted at me!
If this bar stock not being flat is such a common issue how do all of these other beginners make really good knives that they get flat is my question.
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It's not so much a question of having to do major straightening of the steel. If steel is that warped there are many jigs out there that you can rig up to straighten it before you start working with it.

The issue here is more about metal removal. The textures you'll find on non precision ground steel can be relatively deep. Sometimes that finish is left on the flats of a knife for a more rustic/tough appearance. If you would prefer to make a knife with a nice even satin finish, you're going to have to get rid of the "rolled texture". You can use a surface grinder, but most guys with small shops don't have one, so they do the next best thing and grind the texture away on the platen of their grinders. The blades may not be perfectly flat but it's a definite improvement over the rough texture if a maker is trying to produce a nice satin finish on their blades. Some makers leave the rough texture on the flats and the knives look great. Others prefer to get rid of it. You will find out what works best for you with time and practice.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks. When my steel gets in I will be making my first couple knives. I didn't want the rough texture so I was trying to figure out how to get it flat before I started on my first knife but I don't have a way of doing that with the blade being wider than my grinder. Guess I'll have to stick with very rough/uneven knives for now.
 
Spend the few extra dollars on ground stock, you wont regret it. It will save money and time in the long run because you're gonna waste a belt grinding it not counting the wasted time. Some of Alpha's steel has a nice clean finish, just tell Chuck or Jessica you want steel that has a nice finish. Jantz has D-2 that has been blanchard ground which is twice as cheap as precision ground and just as good for fixed blades.
 
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