Hardware store metal for practice?

Justin Schmidt

Justin Schmidt

Joined
Feb 18, 2016
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I'm new to all of this. I bought a 12in piece of 1095 a while back and had something good that almost looked like 2 knives come from it. Would it be okay to use hardware store metal to practice getting everything down instead of spending 50 bucks for good metal from Aldo or somewhere else just to destroy it?
 
That was my thinking. I've tried making 2 blades with hand filing and it sucked the fun out of it. I'm picking up a 2x42 in a couple of days so it should help
 
Using mild steel barstock to practise is ok.
It maybe helpful in some regards, but lacking a better word 'behaves' differently than toolsteel under power or hand tools.
By all means try it, its definitely cheaper material to practice with.
 
That was one of my worries but I think to practice just getting the hang of grinding bevels and all that fun stuff then when Imy more confident I'll spendragon money on the good stuff
 
It wouldn't work well at replicating the hardness of the steel. However, it would be a good idea to practice bevels and designs on - I did that for a couple years when I was really young and couldn't afford materials.


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What are the dimensions (thickness, length, width) of the hardware store steel?

How much does it cost?

Chuck
 
I can see Chuck's point before the question is answered. a 1 1/2" x 1 foot piece of 1080+ will set you back less than $5. you aren't going to find much at a hardware store for that price.
You said 'filing takes all the fun out'. google "Draw Filing" and watch a video or two then try it. with a good 12" bast*rd file, you can rough out a bevel in 15 minutes or so. I still do it on my knives to "break the edge" and get a bevel started.
scott
 
You may want to check with any local Steel Yards or Fabrication shops they always have cut scrap, and usually pretty cheap.

I've made friends at one local Pipe and Steel place that allows me to wander the cut off stations for steel they wont bother to price and let me haul it off. Saved me considerable money for Jigs & Fixtures not necessarily blade steel...
 
I'm with Chuck. A 4 ft stick of 1084 in .125x1 from Aldo is 13.68. What does a 4' bar cost at the hardware store? Even if money is a problem, order a couple bars from Aldo. The knives you mess up, throw them in a drawer. As your skills improve, later on you can fix some of them. Or, if money's not as much of a problem, Kelly Cupples has free shipping on orders over $100.
 
The downside of practising with mild steel is that you can't heat treat a practice blade that turns out well.
 
if its the grind get some paint stir sticks
mild steel bar is waste of time in my eyes
known steeel and proper HT make a knife good no matter how ugly and you learn much more in the long run
 
butcher_block said:
if its the grind get some paint stir sticks
mild steel bar is waste of time in my eyes
known steeel and proper HT make a knife good no matter how ugly and you learn much more in the long run
Click to expand...

Agreed. I have several blemish knives at the cabin and in my and my relatives tool boxes. As long as the heat treat is reasonable, they are handy, and you don't have to worry about damaging them.
 
Shipping is definitely my biggest issue as far as price goes. 1095 from Aldo is 15 bucks shipping? 30! That brings the total to 45 vs 12 dollars I'd spend at ace hardware.
The file I have is a Mexico made Nicholson 10in that seems pretty soft. It got the job done but it also has ALOT of scratches and it likes to slide across the metal instead of bitting down on it.
 
I agree, hardware store steel is a waste of money. It's just not that much more expensive (if any) than ordering some steels from AKS - Chuck's got good prices and very reasonable shipping costs. "IF" you've got scrap steel lying around (old lawn mower blades, etc) you can for sure use those for practice grinding. OR - take a trip to a few flea markets and look for some cheap old files - buck each? Those will work also, and you can even heat treat those.

Ken H>
 
Check the local scrap yard, I paid $40 for a truckload of steel for fabrication projects... otherwise it is probably just as cheap to buy some high carbon from Aldo.

I find that if you are getting close on a grind but it does not look great then it's time to break out the file! Draw file it dead flat, it is also a skill to learn but to me much easier than learning how to get them perfect right off the grinder. After filing go to a sanding block and make it as perfect as possible. I did this with my first few knives and the skill is still very helpful today.
 
I'm going to try and get in touch with Chuck today and see what shipping would be on one of his 23.5 in pieces of 52100 to Florida
 
When I was first starting out, I practiced a few grinds on some mild steel flat stock. I also like using it to make patterns from time to time.

The huge caveat here is that your big box hardware stores will typically have a considerable mark up on their very limited selection of steel. A scrap yard and/or fab shop will give you much more value.
 
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