Backyard HT friendly steels **Thinner than 1/8?**

[boy&hisdogs]

Everyone recommends 1075/1080/1084 for the beginner with rudimentary tools, but these are (as far as I can tell) only available in 1/8" and thicker. I want something in the .09-.10 neighborhood because I want to make kitchen and pocket knives, because that's what I like and use most often.

I just made my first knife out of 3/32 O1 in a coffee can forge and everything went well but I feel like my no-soak HT is just wasted potential and money being precision ground when it doesn't need to be. I want to be as self-sufficient as possible, especially in this early learning stage of my knife making journey. Farming out HT's or surface grinds on too-thick stock defeats what I'm trying to accomplish here. I want to do everything myself the hard/simple/cheap way until my skills are to the point where my knives are actually good enough to be worth the price of expensive steels, complex HT's, machine work, etc.

 

[JTknives]

Sounds like what your after is .090 thick 15n20. I sell it for really cheep so if your wanting some let me know. I just posted about this steel on another thread here so you can look it up if you like.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Sounds like what your after is .090 thick 15n20. I sell it for really cheep so if your wanting some let me know. I just posted about this steel on another thread here so you can look it up if you like.

I did consider 15n20 but some of what I've read said that it needs a soak.

I guess if it still cuts stuff though it's better than nothing.

Edit: Maybe not. I was looking through a ton of stuff last night, it all sort of runs together. Some people say to soak it for just a few minutes. I'm no expert but it sounds to me like a simple heat-and-dunk would be close enough to make a decent knife.

 

[Maelstrom78]

I've ground 1/8 1080 down to .100 or .090.

Use a welding magnet or large knife grinding magnet (google it) and grind it lengthwise on your platen or wheel or whatever.

What are you using for equipment?

I have a 1/8 1080 chef knife HT in a 2 brick forge quenched in canola that is still going strong. Patina'd to heck and looks badass.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

I've ground 1/8 1080 down to .100 or .090.

Use a welding magnet or large knife grinding magnet (google it) and grind it lengthwise on your platen or wheel or whatever.

What are you using for equipment?

I have a 1/8 1080 chef knife HT in a 2 brick forge quenched in canola that is still going strong. Patina'd to heck and looks badass.

HF 1x30 + 5" disc combo
Coffee Can Forge
Bench Grinder (for rough shaping to save belts)
Various handheld spinny things, dremel, air cutter, grinder, etc

I do have a rickety old 4x36 that I could use for a surface-grinding-like operations but I'll have to get belts for it. I do have a couple of those arrow shaped welding magnets. I also have a package of those strong little rare earth magnets from HF so I could make my own holder if need be.