well this might seem goofy to some of you,but i had a handle come apart on a unknown manufacturd sword.tang was ok wood and leather came apart,anyway i have had the sword at a local machine shop getting chopped down into smaller blades of designs i gave them. anyway they said they dont know what kind of steel it was but it was superhard,i had i longer 17"18" little of a curve, to it looks almost like a surupati kukri cut out of the tang.anyway,they had to torch the back of the blade to cut off a chunk halfway down for me to grind,it got redhot so they dunked it in a .50 caliber ammo box of oil to heat treat it ,is that enough,is it still strong. since it"s at the halfway point on the long blade. thanks.
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knifes made out of sword steel question.
- Thread starter bargs
- Start date
- Joined
- May 26, 2011
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- 69
Brother, without knowing what kind of steel it was, there's no telling how the steel is now. It PROBABLY hardened in that oil quench, but you didnt mention tempering, so it's likely brittle. Machine shops dont usually deal with high carbon steel, so 420J might seem awful hard to them, but not to a knifemaker. There's no telling if they overheated the steel, causing grain growth, or if they oil quenched an air hardening steel. I'm sorry we can't give you a better answer than that, but without knowing the steel, the exact methods/temps used to heat treat and temper, we can't give you an answer.
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
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- 29
What was the sword? What type, New-? Country of origin? Old Japanese? This "could" help.....Jon
its a indian made dapeeka i think how its spelled.i read their swords are not to bad.i cant remember if it said stainless or hardened steel.i sanded it off,it is harder then woodpecker lips i have been shaping it with grinding disks,it is eating them up, a hacksaw wouldnt cut the end off with a stanly 24t bi metal blade barely scratched it.i chopped on a log trying to break it in half-wrapped ,handle in parachut cord,looks cool,should i put it in my oven at 450 and let it cool slowly a few times.will that help.
yeah i have been looking at different bars of steel from different manuf.and scales and pins for the handle on this blade.i"m having fun just messing with this pig sticker to get the hang of it,ill order a carbon steel blank.its in the oven now cooling .400 degrees for 20 minutes for 440 steel.off the internet.took a chance.make my own handle for it.
- Joined
- May 26, 2011
- Messages
- 69
Again, keep in mind my postst are not intended to discourage, but to encourage you onto a more satisfying path.
the most common 2 steels used in swords coming from India in the last 20 years is 420J and 5160-ish old leaf spring. Even the ones touting 440 stainless fail to mention it is NOT 440C (the high carbon version of the 440 series)
420J is a stainless steel, highly rust resistant, and will harden to the mid to high 50's in a heat treat. It isn't great on toughness at that hardness, and once tempered down, doesnt hold an edge that well, so most knifemakers shy away from it.
5160 is tough, holds a decent edge, but most knives from over there spent a lifetime already holding up a truck. This tends to cause microfractures that can cause unexpected failure.
keep in mind that even the least desirable of high carbon steels will get hard enough to skate a file, or prevent cutting with a hacksaw.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I have no problem making something from old junk, Springs, files, RR spikes... all fair game. But it is important to make sure you have SOME Idea of what steel you are dealing with. For a beginner, I'd say have fun playing with your sword bits, practice your grinding, try different handles on it, use it as a yard tool or shop knife. When you sit down to make your first serious from scratch knife attempt however, start with a known steel, research the proper Heat treating techniques for it, and do it right. Failure to do so can cause many wasted hours and serious disappointment.
the most common 2 steels used in swords coming from India in the last 20 years is 420J and 5160-ish old leaf spring. Even the ones touting 440 stainless fail to mention it is NOT 440C (the high carbon version of the 440 series)
420J is a stainless steel, highly rust resistant, and will harden to the mid to high 50's in a heat treat. It isn't great on toughness at that hardness, and once tempered down, doesnt hold an edge that well, so most knifemakers shy away from it.
5160 is tough, holds a decent edge, but most knives from over there spent a lifetime already holding up a truck. This tends to cause microfractures that can cause unexpected failure.
keep in mind that even the least desirable of high carbon steels will get hard enough to skate a file, or prevent cutting with a hacksaw.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I have no problem making something from old junk, Springs, files, RR spikes... all fair game. But it is important to make sure you have SOME Idea of what steel you are dealing with. For a beginner, I'd say have fun playing with your sword bits, practice your grinding, try different handles on it, use it as a yard tool or shop knife. When you sit down to make your first serious from scratch knife attempt however, start with a known steel, research the proper Heat treating techniques for it, and do it right. Failure to do so can cause many wasted hours and serious disappointment.