cheap blade steel for the beginner

rogerxd45

rogerxd45

Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
271
so i want to start making my own blades and would like a cheap steel to start with until i get better at it. i have a friend who makes knives and has sold sever designs to kershaw ZT mantis and he said if i give him my compleated blade he will send it off to be heat treated when he sends his off (which was supper cool of him to offer)

these wont see heavy use at all and all i need is to make sure it has the ability to be heat treated

i will practice cut the profile on scrap and if i like it i will do it on the better stuff

i dont really care if its stainless or not
 
You might be able to buy some A2 tool steel that can be heat treated along with your buddies. Some "Less Expensive" steels might need to be quenched in oil and the heat treating facility might not be able to do that. If they do an oil quench then you can get some 1084 to work on and it is cheap. You might be even able to buy a piece from a member here if you ask nicely :)
 
depends on how you work, but I'm noticing that 5/32 and 3/16 are easier to keep from bending while working the soft steel. I have a habit of bending the 1/8" stuff a little and it gets annoying having to fix it all the time.
+1 for just asking him what he uses, otherwise just go with 1084 and home heat treat it if you're setup to do that.
 
he gave me a piece of 440c when he made that offer, does that need to be quenched in oil?
 
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