Anyone here make Shuriken or throwing knives? what kind of steel do you use?

hathegkla

hathegkla

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Feb 3, 2010
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I throw bo-shuriken (darts not stars) in my back yard all the time for fun. I've got a good pile of them I've made, mostly out of mild steel (1018) scrap or whatever I've picked up. but I was thinking I should make a nice matched set and heat treat them. what would be your ideal steel for something like this? I don't want them to be too brittle, and honestly I'm perfectly happy with the dead soft ones I use now. I just figure if I'm going through the trouble of ordering steel for them I should put some thought into it and make them more dent resistant, they do ding up pretty easy when you hit one with another.

mcmaster-carr has 1018, 01, w1, 4140/4142 and a2 in the size I need (5/16 square rod). and I just got my heat treat furnace (a used paragon glass kiln with a digital controller) so 1018 is out of the question since this is really just an excuse to play with my oven :D
 
If 1018 works, I think that 4140 would be good.

Medium carbon steel like 4140 forms a lath martensite that is tougher than the plate martensite the other steels form.
 
good idea on the 4140... I think it can be purchased pre-hardened, also H13
 
you guys had to recommend the expensive one, why did I ask :foot:

sounds like it would be a good choice though, too bad it runs about $10 a foot for 5/16", they have it in hexagonal bar for less which actually make some pretty nice darts, I believe many of the older Katori Shinto Ryu and Negishi Ryu blades were hexagonal but a lot of those have odd shapes with strangly shifted centers of balance. I really prefer the more center balanced ones like MSR uses, also super simple to make, basically a sharpened square rod.

guess I'll have to think about this one. or find a better source for 4140
 
I have been making throwing knives out of mild steel for years, I would suggest super quenching the steel to toughen it. Keith Johnson makes the best tamahawk I have ever thrown and he forges them from mild steel and super quenches them. No fine edge holding neccessary on a thrower if it bends just staighten it. See super quench at http://lametalsmiths.org/news/robb_gunter.htm . Hope this helps.

Jim
 
jim poling said:
I have been making throwing knives out of mild steel for years, I would suggest super quenching the steel to toughen it. Keith Johnson makes the best tamahawk I have ever thrown and he forges them from mild steel and super quenches them. No fine edge holding neccessary on a thrower if it bends just staighten it. See super quench at http://lametalsmiths.org/news/robb_gunter.htm . Hope this helps.

Jim
Click to expand...

I've heard of superquench before, I'll definitely have to try it since most of my darts are un treated or just forge blackened mild steel. I always thought mild steel was good for throwing implements, especially when you aren't far from the target. the more springy ones tend to bounce back more.
 
I use 1075, 1045, and W1.

I would have no problem using 4140 but haven't yet.

Try SpeedyMetals.com
 
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