is 440 and 440c good for beginners

G

greenfeet

Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
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I want to work with forgiving metal for my first few knives. But, if by chance the finished product turns out ok, I want them to be made of good enough materials that I can be proud to give them away and not have to make excuses for their durability.

Thanks.
 
What is sometimes refered to as 440 is usually just
440a, or 440b which are less desirable for knives than
440c. If you choose to use 440c, you should plan to do
all of your drilling and filing, and most of your grinding prior
to heat treat.
Unless you have experience heat treating, You should plan to
send your blades out to someone...perhaps Paul Bos..for heat treat.
You could also try to get together with someone for some instruction
in HT, as well as planning the order of the steps you'll use.

So.....is 440c forgiving..? Not very......If you're learning on your own. I'd
suggest starting with a non-stainless....perhaps 1080, or 5160.
 
thanks. i plan on getting my heat treating done at texas knifemakers supply. not sure if this is or isnt a good idea for this particular step, but they are the only place i know of in my area.

all i have for now is a couple bars of 440c. i can practice on these and pick up some new metal this week.

thanks again for the advice.
 
Greenfeet
440-C is a good beginner steel and also a very good knife steel. TKS will do a good job H/T them for you.They did mine for a few years till I got my own oven.
Finish to about 90% before you take them in ,be sure a drill all your holes,then do your finish wrk after heat treat.
Don't know where in Houston you are but I'm out in waller n the NW side.You have any questions give me a call.
Stan


Stan
 
i figured they would i have heard good things.

thanks stan, really appreciate the offer! i live near the north loop. waller is only about 30-45 minutes away. its nice to know that people are so willing to lend a hand.
 
Greenfeet, you just entered a craft that contains some of the most helpful folks alive. I think you're making some good choices in steel and heat treating. Too many people get hung up on wanting to try heat treating stainless steels without the proper equipment. Good for you on sending it out. I believe TKS offers cryo as well, and it may be worth considering for you.

Of course, you've got to post some pictures when you get a knife done! Have fun and ask questions if you have them. I learned 90% of what I know about knifemaking on this very forum.

--nathan
 
440C will make fine knives for you, in my opinion it's a nice beginner's steel because it's fairly inexpensive as far as stainless goes. If you send your knives out to Texas or Paul, you'll be sure you're getting back properly heat treated knives. In my opinion that already puts you ahead of the curve.
 
Before I had a belt sander/grinder I found 440c was very nice to file and sand by hand. It took a lot of time compared to the belt but I enjoyed the result. In those days it was all we could get locally. I moved on to making my own damascus so I have not tried anything else.

I would not be put of carbon steel. I know of a Master SMITH who never uses stainless. As long as your careful to look after carbon knives they will not be a problem with rust. My first ugly bush pig of a knife was made from a forged section of round spring bar. The workman ship was bad but the steel polished up well over the past 18 years of use and abuse. I did drop it in a padock when shooting and it was a week before I got back to find it. It had rained and it had rusted but it polished up a treat. Holds a great edge.


The short answer is yes I like 440c.
 
i love 440c i believe is very durable and well i never worked with it but own and owned knives made from 440c that are used and still in great shape.
 
I like 440C, and made my first knife from it. As far a performance, it's fine for what I use a knife for.
 
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