Good metal to start with for noob

[Celtic Archer]

Ok, I'm set here and ordering the stuff I need to get going here.

I've ordered the stuff to make a forge, and I already have an anvil belt sander and bandsaw.

I originally intented to find some scrap leaf spring or something, however I might just order some stock so that I know exactly what kind of metal I have and can get the exact heat specs and what not.

So....wise ones......what kind would be good to get going with for a basic skinner type knife?

 

[Celtic Archer]

Oh yeah, who to get it from too?

 

[ssunfish]

Just go down to Sheffield knifemaker's supply..near you I 'm sure. Ask for thier 5160 its just over a quarter inch and is pretty good to start with. Use your bandsaw to make a inch wide bar out of it as its too wide for starters. Pretty inexpensive , but responsive.

 

[AwP]

5160 is a good steel for starting out, but since you specifically mention skinners I'd go with O1. O1 is also pretty easy for a beginner to HT, but it has a little better edge holding at the cost of a little bit of toughness, and I personally think edge holding is more important in a skinner then toughness. I get my O1 from http://www.toolanddie.com/

 

[Danbo]

O1, baby. O1 all the way. Readily available, and easy and forgiving to heat treat. Oh yeah; properly heat treated, O1 is as good of a steel as any of us need.

 

[Michael J. Spangler]

i'm with danbo on this one!
can't beat the price
can't beat the fact that you can find it anywhere
can't beat the ease of heat treating it and like he said if done right you'll be very happy with the finished blade

O1 is my favorite steel i've worked with so far:thumbup:
other than delbert ealy's O1-L6 combo :thumbup:

 

[Whit]

I vote for 5160. Ask me how many broken O-1 blades it took for me to come to that conclusion. Temper it just a little too low, and it can get ugly. 5160 has been nothing but good to me!

 

[crex]

I like and use them both, along with other good carbon steels. O-1 does hold that little extra edge and it's an easy one to learn and heattreat.
But use what you can get then practice practice practice and test test test.
Welcome to the passion.

Hey Ryan, you coming down to Statesboro in Feb?
Come on friday and we'll play with fire and probably eat real well.

Carl Rex

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

A couple of good starters are dendritic cobalt,S90V,and 1095.
Just kidding - Start with 5160 , O-1, or 1075/1080.All are also good to start on.Learn everything you can about these steels before you start.Know how to HT them,and what is happening during HT.A couple of nights reading will put you way ahead when you start forging.Good luck.
Stacy