Help please! What type of steel is this?

TRog

TRog

Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
692
Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum and have been doing alot of thread searching/research on how to go about making a knife(any links would be appreciated). So I've got a piece of steel that i got from a job site( from a dumpster I think?) several years ago with the intension of making a knife or two from it.

It's 34" Long, 2" wide and 1/4" thick.

I'm pretty sure it's some type of stainless because it's been in my shed for 7 or 8 years and has no rust or pitting at all on it. It has some dot type markings on it. The ones I can read say" 69760 TR 1995"

I'm a professional woodworker by trade so I've got alot of power tools and hand tools to try and make this happen with and would really like to make a chopper 16"-17" overall.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing what everone has to say

-Tony
 
Not to be rude, but, What makes you think that the steel is something that can be used for a knife blade?
 
Tony,

First welcome to the forums. This question is one of the most asked on the forum. There is nothing readily available to tell what type of steel you have. All we can give you is a best guess. First is it magnetic. If a magnet does not stick it is probably 300 series stainless. It is not good for knives as it will not harden. If a magnet will stick then the best thing to do is find someone with a spectrograph. This can cost upwards of $200 for a single sample. There have been a few guys on the forums who will do it cheaper but I don't recall who or if they will still offer the service. So I will tel you the same thing I tell others, it is cheaper in the long run to buy known steel from a reputable dealer. If you can find enough of the material that you can conduct some heat treating tests and still have a sufficient supply to make a few knives out of it might be worth your time and $$. Good luck
 
@ Chris
That's my exact point. I don't know what type of steel it is so I have no idea if it's worth trying to make a knife out of or not. I was hoping that someone might be able to figure out what the markings on it meant to figure out what the steel is. I know you need to know what type of steel it is for heat treating. So other than a practice slab there's no sence of getting serious with it if I can't figure out what type of steel it is
 
Thanks AC. I just took a stong magnet to the piece of steel and it stuck but not that well. I put it on the 2" wide side, turned it side ways and give it a good shake and the magnet fell right off. Guess that it won't be suitable to make a knife from but still might be good to practice from. You have any links to a place I can get a good slab from. And what's a good starter steel? 1095?
 
TRog said:
Thanks AC. I just took a stong magnet to the piece of steel and it stuck but not that well. I put it on the 2" wide side, turned it side ways and give it a good shake and the magnet fell right off. Guess that it won't be suitable to make a knife from but still might be good to practice from. You have any links to a place I can get a good slab from. And what's a good starter steel? 1095?
Click to expand...

No 1095 is not a good starter steel.

1084 is and it's the cheapest knife steel you will find

http://njsteelbaron.com/index.php?p...category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=55


Read this too

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/916113-new-to-knife-making?p=10388074#post10388074
 
Practice on a good piece of steel. Even if it isn't perfect it will still make a usable knife. Read the stickies and fill out your profile including your location. There may be a maker close by that will invite you for a shop visit. I wouldn't start with such a large blade. A 3"-4" hunter or utility knife is a good place to start. A good beginner steel is 1084. Even though it is considered a beginner steel does not mean it makes an inferior knife. Heat treated properly it makes an excellent knife. You can get a bar from Aldo Bruno at www.njsteelbaron.com. I suggest getting a 1/8" X 1&1/2" X 48" bar for small knives and a 3/16"-1/4" X 1&1/2"-2" X 48" bar for the chopper you mentioned. When you're first blade is ready for heat treat send it to me and I'll do the first one for free. Hope this helps and good luck.
 
TRog,

The numbers on the bar you have may be a heat lot #. The numbers are used for tracking certs.(Chemical make up of that particular bar). If it's been sitting around for 8 years and there's not a speck of rust on it, it is likely a 300 series stainless. It would probably be good for guards, pommels and other fixturing.
 
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