Is 1084 a good steel for kitchen knives?

S

Sprayman

Joined
Nov 15, 2014
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Hi Guys;

I'm still pretty new at knife making and am trying to learn about different steels. I've had some success with 1084 for hunting knives. I'd like to make a few chef's knives as Christmas gifts and am wondering if 1084 would work. Any thoughts?

Thanks

P.S. Where do you guys order your steel?
 
Yes , for sure ! Good for forging , good for machining and a fine steel for use !
 
It will patina (of course) which you will need to tell the people that you gift them to so they don't think it's rusting or something. I use the 1084 kitchen knife I made a while back almost every day. The blade is patinad and I don't even oil it really I just rinse, wipe it off and put it back in the block. Works great!

I did make sure to oil it every once and again before the patina developed to avoid rust. Once the oxidation of the patina happens it actually makes it more corrosion resistant.
 
I made a chef knife for my mother in 1084. She uses it all the time and loves it. I have a smaller knife I made for myself that I use in the kitchen all the time. I like the way it works but if I cut a slice of apple with it and toss it in my mouth it tastes like steel. Aside from that, 1084 makes a great knife for just about anything but a dive knife.
 
1084 has been the favorite knives in the kitchen for my family
 
I use my 1084 nakiri everyday. I sharpen it every few months and strop it in between. I like the patina it has developed over use.
 
I gave my friend a 1084 chef's knife. He uses it everyday. After a year of use the blade is nearly black. You might mistake it for an antique! I think it looks great.
 
You could always do a forced patina if the finish bothers you. I'm not usually OCD, but I had to do a forced patina because the finish was driving me nuts on a kitchen knife I made.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I really appreciate it. Now I guess I should go make some knives!
 
Way back when, there really wasn't such a thing as a 'stainless' kitchen knife, and high carbon steels similar to 1084 were all that were available to be used. In fact, you can still buy plenty of high carbon kitchen knives today, as they are very much still highly desirable. Now, as others have alluded to, they do take a bit more maintenance to keep from rusting and pitting, and a patina is unavoidable, but really, they don't require much more than you should already be doing for any of your knives.

As long as you wipe them down and clean them after use, don't leave any food or acidic juices on them, and rub a light coat of food safe oil on them, you should be good to go.

For where and what to order, check out Aldo Bruno, the New Jersey Steel Baron. He's about the only source I'm aware of for 1084, though I think the thinnest stock he has listed on his site is .125". I've made a handful of chef knives from that thickness, but if I can get it, I prefer .070" stock, which I believe is limited to only 1095 for the high carbon steels.
 
knife to a gunfight said:
Way back when, there really wasn't such a thing as a 'stainless' kitchen knife, and high carbon steels similar to 1084 were all that were available to be used. In fact, you can still buy plenty of high carbon kitchen knives today, as they are very much still highly desirable. Now, as others have alluded to, they do take a bit more maintenance to keep from rusting and pitting, and a patina is unavoidable, but really, they don't require much more than you should already be doing for any of your knives.

As long as you wipe them down and clean them after use, don't leave any food or acidic juices on them, and rub a light coat of food safe oil on them, you should be good to go.

For where and what to order, check out Aldo Bruno, the New Jersey Steel Baron. He's about the only source I'm aware of for 1084, though I think the thinnest stock he has listed on his site is .125". I've made a handful of chef knives from that thickness, but if I can get it, I prefer .070" stock, which I believe is limited to only 1095 for the high carbon steels.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Andrew.

Does 1095 temper well, like 1084? One of the reasons I've enjoyed 1084 is that it's pretty easy to work with.
 
15n20 is another carbon steel I wouldn't want to leave out as a very plausible option. It even comes readily available in thinner stock (.058, .065, .072) from Aldo.

Chris
 
Sprayman said:
Thanks, Andrew.

Does 1095 temper well, like 1084? One of the reasons I've enjoyed 1084 is that it's pretty easy to work with.
Click to expand...

Heat treat is a little more restrictive. You don't have as long to quench, but if you've got an oven or a well controlled forge, it's doable.

Tempering is much like any other steel.
 
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