Blade material and thickness?

ZOO

ZOO

Anvils fear on blows.
Basic Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2005
Messages
391
As a new knife maker I was wondering what the best steel and thickness,
my first couple were made from high lead carbon steel and was 1/4" thick
they came out great but it took lots of work.

All help is welcome
zoo
 
High LEAD carbon steel? Do you have an ANSI number for that?
Depending on the blade type,1/4" is a bit thick to grind a knife out of.Most start with 3/16 or 1/8 - again,depending on the blade you want to end up with.
 
Sorry don't have a ansi/astm # my blade material is always tested on
a Niton XRF, alloy analyzer. And thanks for the advice on thickness

Zoo.
 
why do you say that Bruce, is it because in my line of work I have access
to equipment that most people dont. I also have hardness testers.Im a new
maker and I came here for help thats all.

zoo
 
Well I see I came to the wrong place for any help, all I got was
screwed with about everything I wrote. just so everyone knows
Im an inspector at a nuclear power plant, thats why I have access
to all the things I have spoken about. but I see that smart a$%
one liners is all Ill get here so thanks for nothing.

Zoo
 
Easy there! I'm sure there was no offense ment. High LEAD does sound fishy though, I for one would like to know more about it. Not many people have access to the test equipment you do eighther. Try to take us with a grain of salt too, sometimes we get a little wierd :p It wouldn't hurt to develop a thick skin when dealing with most of use, we mean well, but...

Most of us use 3/32", 1/8, and 3/16" for most size knives, from tiny to big, with 1/4" reserved for Big knives and sharpened pry bars.

Welcome aboard
 
sorry you got upset. :grumpy: We tend to get some wierd-o's so we really dont mean any harm. I have never heard of lead carbon steel, but there are a lot of things that I have never heard of that exist, so whatever. 1/4 inch is an ok size for a large knife, but you may want to get used to standing in front of a grinder. I would look for something in the area of 1/8 th or in that general area. It all depends on the kind of knife you are making. I have used 1/4 on some large camp knives and they turned out good. I have also used it on some smaller knives and they looked out of porportion. As far as steel, for a beginner, I would stick with some that are easy to HT. I use 5160, w1 and O1. I get 5160 from triangle spring company, but it is 1/4 in thick, so only good for larger knives. I have unlimited access to used nicholson files, and I contacted the distributor and they told me that they were W1. O1 is probably the best and easiest, and you can get that at admiral steel. or toolanddie.com.

dont give up on the forum or knifemaking. they have been extremely helpful to me and have saved me hundreds of dollars of mistakes.

Matt Bailey
 
Leaded steel ? you mean like AISI grade 12L14 a free machining grade and it took "lots of work' ??? Time for my hipboots !!
 
Thank you, derkins and Will52100.
 
mete,I file by hand so yes it takes some time.
 
Zoo , Yes it is because of the tools you have access to but know what thickness to use for a knife. If you had your steel tested you could have compared the analysis to a known high carbon steel. You sounded far too advanced to ask such a basic question and the high carbon lead steel was the clincher. Lets start over. I use 52100 in 2" x 2" and forge it down to the thickness for the knife I want to make. If it is a camp knife it will be about 1/4" if it is for a skinning blade it will be close to 1/16". If I were you I would buy 1/16", 1/8" and 5/32" thicknesses in 1080 steel. It is nice to work with hand tools and easy to heat treat. I wasnt being a smart ass. I thought we had a live one. Sorry.
 
Bruce,Let me start by saying that I know that a high lead number in carbon steel is a very rare but I have a 6'x6' section thats my blade stock for now,
It's a little hard to get quality steel from here for free. I did not mean to
sound like a expert blade maker but I am able to use my equipment correctly.
I just wanted to take advantage of what I have at my disposle and try and
learn all I can about knife making. I have made 2 already there ok but not
as good as I want, thats why Im here. so to everyone here tell me anything
you can and Ill do all I can for anyone that needs my help..

Zoo
 
I love 1/4 stock if I had my pick I would grind all 1/4 stock if you are hollow grinding it makes for some very deep hollows and makes for a very neat blade but if this is your first time grinding I would start with 5/32 or 3/16 I find 1/8 stock harder to grind than I do 1/4 stock

Derkins....Why do you say smaller knives from 1/4 stock look funny???I ground two knives this week that were 7 inches long and the blades are really deeply hollow ground,I really like that deep shadowed looking grinds :D
 
You are missing my point, 12L14 has only .14% Carbon .This will not be heat treatable and will make a very poor knife !!! I do not know of a higher carbon steel that has higher carbon content.
 
In zoo's defense, I know some people who have worked with steel for all their lives (one is a welder, one owns a machine shop) and they dont know the proper blade thickness or the best steel to use. They ask me a ton of ?s about the whole knife making process.
 
I use 3/32, 1/8, 5/32. 3/16, and 1/4 :D It really depends on the purpose of the knife. What will it be used for and how tall a blade? If your using files you'd have flat bevels so the thicker the material, the taller the blade IMHO.
For choppers 3/16" is hard to beat. Just depends on machinery and blade shape I guess.
Dont know what lead is doing in a blade though? Can you tell us what thats is for? Just currious....
 
I'm going to jump in here with mete - something is not right here.I have known a few nuclear plant inspectors from Surry nuclear power plant and they seemed to be not only paid enough to purchase a piece of 5160 ,but smart enough to understand ANSI numbers.
Zoo - If you are not one of the guys having fun with us,I apologize.If this is legit here is what you need.
First get a copy of these three books: The Complete Bladesmith;Step by Step Knifemaking; and The $50 Knife Shop. Those books will give you most all the knowledge you need to make knives. Also order the catalogs from Knife and Gun finishing (K&G), Texas Knife Supply, and Koval - They will have anything you need from books,to steel ,to wood,plus good info on making knives.Next, find a maker in your area,or attend a hammer-in and get some hands on experience on making knives.As to the steel and thickness start with 5160 or 1095 ,1.5" wide by 3/16 " thick for a large knife or 1.25 wide by 1/8 for a smaller blade.Files will work,but you will soon see the need for a belt grinder (the books will tell you more on that subject).Hand finishing with wet-or-dry paper up to 2000 grit is fine.Start with simple nickel silver guards,or knives with no guard at all (kitchen,boot,fillet),and use stabilized wood purchased from one of the catalogs.

This info is good advise to all the newbies that regularly ask questions about the knife they are making - before they know how a knife is made.
Knife making is not nuclear science ,but it must be learned.Study up ,get good advise (yes ,even from us crusty old bastids on the BF),and practice,practice,practice.

Final to Zoo - Throw away that lead steel.If it is 12L14 it is useless for a knife.If you can't get any proper steel from the machine shop where you work,let me know and I will send you a couple of pieces to work on - Seriously.
Stacy
 
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