EXTREMELY new guy asking about steel

J

JStark

Joined
Feb 5, 2007
Messages
3
Hello,

I am so new to knifemaking that I haven't yet made one... However, I've cut a few tradepoints for arrows, and am looking forward to making knives for my in-laws' graduations (three this year: High school, bachelor's, and doctor's).

I have a stack of used circular saw blades (I've read elsewhere here that it's L6?), and I'm wondering about the most basic thing to do to them.

I have no forge, and will only be grinding, unless I should be heating the metal for some reason (in which case I'll need instructions on how to do that with regular household appliances). I want to make sheath knives, not folding, and not really big, either.

If I just cut out a pattern, ground it down and put a handle on it, would that be good enough? Or should I be doing something to the metal to make it hold an edge better, or strengthen it?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Using recycled steel can be fun, but it's probably not a good choice for the novice. You can get decent, annealed, known steel for less than $10 a blade, and that can avoid a truckload of heartache down the road.

Rob!
 
I recommend starting with kit knives. The people you will be giving them to, will be no less appreciative and you will learn many things you need to know before taking on the task of grinding them out yourself.
Do some reading and learn some of the basics of knife making before you make one on your own. You will enjoy it more if you do.

Best of luck, Fred
 
I agree with Fred. Do some reading. (alot) Do a couple kits. to learn
the handle part of it. Then move into the grinding. but I would buy
good steel to begin with you will find you will have enough other things
come up to deal with. I'm new to this myself. I read constantly listen
to what the guys on hear say . Some of these guys are real good and
that info is priceless for us new guys.
Just my thoughts
Tim
 
buy good steel from Online Metals, Jantz supply, Metal Supermarkets, or one of the many others people on these forums use. Then after you have ground your blade, send it for heat treating. Texas knife supply will do small quantities or there might be some people here on the forums that might could do it for a price. There are some steels you can heat with a mapp gas torch{around 20$ at home depot). You can't be sure how old saw blade still will hold an edge.
 
There's no shame in starting with kits. Lots of options are available.

As a fellow newbie, I encourage you to buy some "bad" steel. "Mild" or "Welding" barstock that they sell at hardware stores. It's dirt cheap and available in suitable sizes.

It doesn't have enough carbon in it to be hardened and keep an edge, I say this only for cheap grinder practice. Like me, you might quickly realize that it's NOT as easy as it looks to keep a flat, flat, or plunge cuts even, etc.

Ruin a couple bars of practice stock, and then buy some real stuff.
 
GibsonFan said:
As a fellow newbie, I encourage you to buy some "bad" steel. "Mild" or "Welding" bar stock that they sell at hardware stores. It's dirt cheap and available in suitable sizes.

It doesn't have enough carbon in it to be hardened and keep an edge, I say this only for cheap grinder practice. Like me, you might quickly realize that it's NOT as easy as it looks to keep a flat, flat, or plunge cuts even, etc.

Ruin a couple bars of practice stock, and then buy some real stuff.
Click to expand...

NOOO!!!:eek: You are going to put in something like dozens of hours on the first blade - and the only way to get it right is to try for "todays best" every time. :thumbup:

It would be a shame to put all those hours into your first knife - the one that defines your beginnings - and not have it serviceable. Some steels are darn near as cheap as soft welding steel and they'll make a fine blade.

I'm not saying this well. If you start with the premise that you are going to screw up, you know where that will lead you. Start with the idea that your first knife is going be a pretty darn good start - and the next one even better.... and so on.

If cost is an issue, let me know and I'll send you a piece of blade steel for the first one - just so someday you can say; "This was my first knife. I still use it today."

Rob!
 
I didn't mean to be negative by any means! No no no, not starting with the premise that you are going to screw up, that's not what I meant :)

What I should have said the first time was, I have a couple knife-shaped-objects with pretty unnacceptable plunges and whatnot. Bad heat-treat, too, but I blame that on the mystery steel, lol. I would just as soon have put those hours into say, five plunges. For that matter, my first full blade I ground on the bench grinder at work, out of scrap welding steel. I knew it wasn't going to be a good knife, I just wanted to get some skills. Plus the material and tools were free... actually I was getting paid to do it, heh.

I don't regret any of those hours, I know in that time many of you could have made $1000 knife. But I learned something every step of the way, even if I had to learn it twice! :o

I don't think we disagree so much as we just see it a little differently, Rob! Thanks for your input :thumbup: I wasn't offended, you just made me think a little. It (thinking) hurt some but that builds character :D

JStark, see if you can get your mitts on a copy of "The $50 Knife Shop" by Wayne Goddard. And keep looking around here, this place is a great resource!
 
Sorry GibsonFan. It wasn't directed at you. I spent dozens of painstaking hours working on what should have been my first blade - only to learn it couln't be hardened. Didn't want someone else to go through the pain of getting it pretty good and know it was useless.

I think we're coming from the same place. ;)

Rob!
 
JStark,
Your profile doesn't include location. It might be that, in addition to the good advise you have so far on this thread, that you are located near an experienced knifemaker. I promise that if you can talk with a current maker, share your questions with him/her and visit with a current maker for a few hours or so, you would be surprised how much value that time would have.
In my 10 + years as a knifemaker, I have only had one maker decline to share information or answer specific questions. No other maker, no mater how experienced or how good they were have ever declined to discuss knifemaking or answer any questions, and, as a Buddy of mine says, "That's how it should be."
As any maker will say, practice, practice, practice, and if $'s are extremely tight practice on whatever steel or even wood is better than not, but Rob has a very valid point, the better the material you use, the more cautious you may be. 0-1 is a fine high carbon (non stainless) steel, is not terrifically expensive and holds an edge once properly heat treated, very well.
The first slipjoint I made in a class that Eugene Shadley and Don Hethcoat taught years ago at the ABS Moran School in ARK. is made of 0-1...and it is still quite useable as a carry knife .
The only foolish question is the one you have, but don't ask!
Even if years from now you feel those first knives you gave to relatives were pretty crude based on your then current skills, I also promise they will still be special to your relatives who had received them.
 
One of the best books to start with would be.. how to make knives by David Boyed. I still refer to it. It will help with the question of the saw steel that you have, thru to finishing. Good luck! and don't give up it takes a long long time.But most of all have fun, and fun learning.
 
Buy good steel and read all you can on How To Make Knives. The more you know the better you will do. Check out my Website and go to the Knife Maker Supplies all you will need to get started. God bless and I hope this was of help to you.

Barkes :thumbup:
http://my.hsonline.net/wizard
1.812.526.6390
 
Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I regularly read a site called 'Tradgang', which is all about traditional archery, and you all have the same jump-right-in-and-help-out mentality, which is wonderful.

Allen, I have not yet learned how to heat treat L6. John (and others), I'm around the Sacramento, California region (anybody out here?)

GibsonFan and lcf, I'll look up your book recommendations.

This is great advice, and the encouragement to jump in with 0-1 steel as well as where to find it have been great! I'll try to keep you all posted as to my progress.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top