I would like to try making my first blade by hand with a file, stone, etc. can you suggest a metal that is the easiest to file? My first knife does not have to hold and edge well. I suppose it would be a plus if there was an easy metal to file, but it was also decent once heat treated, so I could sent it out for heat treat
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Easiest Metal to File
- Thread starter ljfe
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If you're talking blade material, Starrett precision ground O1 is like butter yet will make a great blade. KBC tools sells 18 and 36" lengths at quite reasonable prices. 3/32x1 or 1/8x1.5 would be good starting sized depending on what you want to make.
If you send it out for HT, O1 is a perfectly good beginners steel.
1084 would be a cheaper option and easier to heat treat yourself if you wanted to. Nothing else I've worked with is ever as consistently soft and easy to work with as Starrett flat stock though
If you send it out for HT, O1 is a perfectly good beginners steel.
1084 would be a cheaper option and easier to heat treat yourself if you wanted to. Nothing else I've worked with is ever as consistently soft and easy to work with as Starrett flat stock though
- Joined
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kuraki
Fimbulvetr Knifeworks
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The alloy content and the finely spherodized state tool steels are usually delivered in, even if fully annealed, are probably still not quite as easy to file as 1084, or 1075 from NJSB in a coarsely spherodized condition. Whether the difference is practical or not is debatable. But I can certainly tell the difference on the bandsaw between O1 and 1075. And the bandsaw is really just a skinny automatic file when you think about it.