I'm still early in the learning process

M

Makermook

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Feb 28, 2011
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I've posted a bit on this forum, but I don't think I've introduced myself properly:

I'm Mark, a hobbyist smith. Prior to about 3 years ago, I had never made a knife. I can't really remember when I decided to do so, but I think it was a short time after I started lurking on a bushcrafter forum.

I got the bug and bought a piece of O1 steel and ground out a pretty ugly blade using a hacksaw, a couple dull files and a Dremel tool. Honestly, it turned out pretty nice. I had to heat treat it 3 times until I learned that neat trick about magnetic vs. non-magnetic, and after that I had a hardened blade.

Soon after that, I showed it off on the bushcraft forum and a guy asked me if I'd make him one. I told him I would, and then I realized I was making a knife for a CUSTOMER. Perish the thought that I'd make him a knife and find out that I'd messed it up real bad. So, I studied up (as much as I was able to), I made him a knife with a matching fire steel, and last I heard from him, he's still using it to this day with no complaints.

Fast forward to last summer. I'd always wanted to try forging, but I always thought it would be WAY too expensive for me to get into because of the cost of a forge, the price of a "proper" anvil, etc. Well, I kept reading about railroad track anvils, forges made from firebricks, etc., and I also started watching YouTube videos and long story short, I started doing that too.

All through this process, mind, I haven't had a mentor or a teacher or anyone I could learn from directly. I get most of my information from a few books from the library and a lot of time on the Interwebs.

At present, I've managed to bash out a ton of neat little hooks, I've flattened a number of RR spikes into knife-shaped-objects, and I've played around with various scraps of various types of steel, some of known composition, and some just found here and there. (I'm also tickled to death to report that I've successfully forge welded a handful of blades using O1 inside a sandwich of mild steel from Lowe's.)

I figure that eventually, if I stick with it long enough, I'll become adept at working with a variety of different steels. *But in the meantime, I imagine it'll be an easier learning process if I stick with one type of steel for a while so I can get a really good feel for ALL aspects of that steel. *Better than trying to flail my way through a different type of steel every time I try to forge something.

O1 is a steel that I've worked with a lot, but mostly by stock removal. *I've forged a few small items out of it, buy never any blades of any size. *And it's somewhat expensive.

5160 is something I've heard a lot about, and I forged one blade from it in the past. *I can supposedly get a lot of stuff that is essentially 5160 if I go to the junkyard and scavenge leaf springs and coil springs.

1080/1084 is something I haven't done much with at all, but if I'm interested in eventually doing some of that fancy clay-coating, hamon stuff, this is one that I hear is good for that sort of thing. *And since it's a eutectic steel, I figure it'll be one of the more idiot-proof steels to heat treat on my own.

For those of you who have spent your share of time around an anvil, which of those three steels do you think would be a good "starter", a good steel to learn on, but which would also be suitable for what I hope could eventually be high quality blades? Based on this decision, I want to buy a fair quantity of it and set to work getting real familiar with it.

In advance, I thank y'all for your help.
 
Sounds like you are off to a good start. You also seem to know what steel you should be using. I would shy away from O1 because you can't use it to it's full potential without accurate heat control and soak times... not that you can't make a decent knife out of it... just not the best knife O1 is capable of.

Good to know more about you, thanks.

Rick
 
Starter steel - 1080/1084....hands down.

Tough but easy to make a knife from - 5160

makes a good knife ,but requires a bit more attention to the HT details - O-1


BTW, 1080/1084 is not usually the best choice steel for hamons. You want a low Mn alloy like 1070 or W1/W2
 
Everything Stacy said +1. IMO 5160 is great to start with, it forges well and is forgiving in HT. If you don't use it to it's full potential, well it's a learning process by god. You'll get there.

Your story of beginning and learning sounds a bit like mine. I've also forged a TON of hooks, other hardware as well.

I'd say if you are going to make a ton of knives for friends, giveaway or practice, get yourself a bunch of truck coil springs. You can teach yourself very cheaply and well how to forge, grind, HT, and test knives with this stuff. If you sell them, just make sure to tell people that you made it from a spring. Some will like this aspect.

If you want to make many knives for sale, you'd probably be better off with buying steel. 1080 and 5160 are dirt cheap as far as steel goes, but both have good reputations and many mastersmiths are currently working in them.
 
I've made knives from anything possible.... coils, leaf springs, lawnmower blades and here's a few things I've learned along the way:

You will spend more money in fuel converting a lot of things into "forgeable" shapes than just buying barstock.

There is usually a crack in those suspension items that will not show until you've almost completed the blade.

The people that are impressed with you making a blade from a leaf spring won't NORMALLY pay the same amount of money as someone that understands what you're talking about when you discuss steel selection. There are exceptions to this rule though.

I really do advocate using 1 steel until you really know it. I've been forging with 1084 for probably 8+ years.
 
bladsmth said:
Starter steel - 1080/1084....hands down.

Tough but easy to make a knife from - 5160

makes a good knife ,but requires a bit more attention to the HT details - O-1


BTW, 1080/1084 is not usually the best choice steel for hamons. You want a low Mn alloy like 1070 or W1/W2
Click to expand...

Stacy is spot on as always. If you have access to suitable steel like leaf springs etc. that is perfect for practicing, when you start getting to the point where you may sell your work you can step up to 1080.

If you are trying for Hamons, you will only become frustrated with 1080/84. W1/W2 are pretty pricey and a bit hard to find, Aldo has some W2 right now but that isn't always avail. 1095 forms a decent Hamon and I have found it easy to acquire at reasonable prices.

Makermook, Your story is similar to mine, Read a lot, a lot of Trial and error. and learned from all the great makers here on BF. Welcome!
 
W1 bar stock isn't too hard to find, W1 roundstock is very easy to find and pretty cheap at Fastenal. You can get hamon/temperline/differential hardening lines in 1084. I do it all the time.

If you can swing driving down from Kentucky to Birmingham, Alabama next weekend you'll get a great education at Batson's Hammerin. April 1-3 Costs $100 and you'll easily learn anything you need about the forged blade. There will be steel suppliers like Aldo there, in fact you might be able to contact him and see if you could meet him enroute to Alabama.
 
Will Leavitt said:
W1 bar stock isn't too hard to find, W1 roundstock is very easy to find and pretty cheap at Fastenal. You can get hamon/temperline/differential hardening lines in 1084. I do it all the time.
Click to expand...

roundstock is great for the OP, due to his forging... I am not a Forger/Smith I do stock removal so the W1 Roundstock makes for a very thin knife when I make it ;). I searched for a few hours and couldn't find any W1 or W2 Bar stock wider than 1". As I stated Aldo Has it.

As far as 1084 goes I didn't say it couldn't be done, I said "you will only become frustrated" maybe I should have said, "I got frustrated". Will I am familiar with your work and it is impressive!
 
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