lawn mower blade steel

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I've made a number of knives with lawn mower blade steel and have had great results. I have been test quenching small pieces of each blade before I spend too much time on it to ensure it can be hardened.
I've started a blog about my finding and such:
www.jasonprom.wordpress.com
It may help a bit.
 
jasonprom said:
I've made a number of knives with lawn mower blade steel and have had great results. I have been test quenching small pieces of each blade before I spend too much time on it to ensure it can be hardened.
I've started a blog about my finding and such:
www.jasonprom.wordpress.com
It may help a bit.
Click to expand...

you seem to be pretty new here jason, are you new to knifemaking as well?
what are your "findings", and how should they help?
:)
 
jasonprom said:
I've made a number of knives with lawn mower blade steel and have had great results. I have been test quenching small pieces of each blade before I spend too much time on it to ensure it can be hardened.
I've started a blog about my finding and such:
www.jasonprom.wordpress.com
It may help a bit.
Click to expand...

Jason: Bad news first... While I appreciate your testing and willingness to "help"... you really havent found anything. The "findings" dont tell us realy anything that is quantifiable. Please dont take this the wrong way, I'm doing my best to word it in a positive constructive manner...:foot: but you mention after doing a quench and break test that "The grain seems to be of a better quality" Are we to just assume you know what your talking about you've been forging knives for all of 3 weeks...(judging by the dates on your pics and blog entries) as well as a lack of pictures comparing the 2 different end grains.
Good news, your on the right track! keep experimenting. give up the lawn mower blades unless you have them tested and they come back as having ATLEAST .50 carbon content. I the meanwhile Please Please Please go read the stickies... and then re-read them, also PM me your address and I will send you a piece of 1/8" x 1.25" x 12" 1084, and some nice handle material at my cost. to form and shape (just dont twist) into a proper knife. Your current set up will be fine for heat treating just dont use water to quench with. Canola oil is better than nothing though :D Again I dont mean to be to harsh, and I hope take what I've typed with a few grains of salt,

Here's a pic of my LawnMower Blade er... blade from a few years ago...
40259_453719045241_625615241_6143007_7062309_n.jpg


Jason
 
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Lawnmower blades would be good for making throwing knives. Good practice on grinding and edge shaping. A friend at work found out I made knives and offered me some planer blades. Thinking hand planers, I said sure. He brought back blades from an old mill near his fathers place. While they might be good steel (the mill has been closed for years) chances are they arent. I still took them and when he asked if I could use more I said sure. They will come in very handy for quench plates, vise liners, anvil tools etc. as they are about 1/2" thick and from 3/4" wide to 5" wide and up to 12" long. I did think about trying to turn them into knives but just the thought of trying to grind them down and re ht (if it takes) changes my mind.


edit: Sigh.. i hate it when I dont notice the date of the OP until I see another post along the same lines with the same recent poster....
 
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bladsmth said:
All good posts....except Sam's.:(
When I type in , "pretty woman", the first hit is the photo of the movie poster with Julia and Richard.:D
Probably been so long since Sam has seen a pretty woman that he doesn't recognize one.;) Having seen his legs, I am not surprised.:eek:
Stacy
Click to expand...

This is an old post but when did you see my legs? :D

I think i have the pretty woman thing figured out, I type in "Brigitte Neilson" and get tons of pictures of a pretty woman.
 
JasonSCarter said:
Jason: Bad news first... While I appreciate your testing and willingness to "help"... you really havent found anything. The "findings" dont tell us realy anything that is quantifiable. Please dont take this the wrong way, I'm doing my best to word it in a positive constructive manner...:foot: but you mention after doing a quench and break test that "The grain seems to be of a better quality" Are we to just assume you know what your talking about you've been forging knives for all of 3 weeks...(judging by the dates on your pics and blog entries) as well as a lack of pictures comparing the 2 different end grains.
Good news, your on the right track! keep experimenting. give up the lawn mower blades unless you have them tested and they come back as having ATLEAST .50 carbon content. I the meanwhile Please Please Please go read the stickies... and then re-read them, also PM me your address and I will send you a piece of 1/8" x 1.25" x 12" 1084, and some nice handle material at my cost. to form and shape (just dont twist) into a proper knife. Your current set up will be fine for heat treating just dont use water to quench with. Canola oil is better than nothing though :D Again I dont mean to be to harsh, and I hope take what I've typed with a few grains of salt,

Here's a pic of my LawnMower Blade er... blade from a few years ago...
40259_453719045241_625615241_6143007_7062309_n.jpg


Jason
Click to expand...


Jason,

I agree that I have no hard data or findings to offer other than some testing after I've made the knife. Yes, I am rather new to this aside from a few crappy knives many years ago. My site/blog was initially started to show my friends and family more about this fun hobby I picked up.
When I've quenched and broken the blades the grain seems consistet to what you want to look for in David Boyes book "Step by step knifemaking".
Your points are well taken as I am rather new to this, but am having lots of fun. So far, I've had good luck with edge rentention and such from some of the testing I've done, but I am by no means an expert on this. I appreciate any constructive criticism as I have much to learn. I'll see about purchasing some better quality steel. Any recommendations?
 
jasonprom said:
Jason,

I agree that I have no hard data or findings to offer other than some testing after I've made the knife. Yes, I am rather new to this aside from a few crappy knives many years ago. My site/blog was initially started to show my friends and family more about this fun hobby I picked up.
When I've quenched and broken the blades the grain seems consistet to what you want to look for in David Boyes book "Step by step knifemaking".
Your points are well taken as I am rather new to this, but am having lots of fun. So far, I've had good luck with edge rentention and such from some of the testing I've done, but I am by no means an expert on this. I appreciate any constructive criticism as I have much to learn. I'll see about purchasing some better quality steel. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699736
 
Thanks Page. I e-mailed Aldo, but no reply. I went ahead and ordered some 1080 from Admiral last night, so I should be back to having tons of fun next week when it arrives.
This knife making stuff is turning into a compulsion (according to my wife that is!).

BTW, very nice stuff on your website Page.
 
Thanks, sometimes Aldo is a little slow getting back to people on email as he has a day gig and travels. Once you actually do start doing business with him you will find that it is worth the wait. Enjoy the 1080, and put up work in progress pics. You will find that if you do that and ask questions you will get lots of good advice (and a little bad advice too, but hopefully you can weed through that)

Good luck!

-Page
 
Maybe I am way out in left field but how can guys put in so many hours of hard work making a nice knife and be so concerned about saving $25 for a piece of knife making steel? I have done every thing that I know how to make a good knife and I just cannot fathom wasting my time on a piece of questionable steel when I can pick up the phone and have some great steel delivered. I guess it is big fun for the guys that recycle and forge their blades but it seems like a time waster to me. I see railroad spikes, files, old sawmill blades, and truck springs being used for knives and I guess it is fun but it has been done before...many times and I just cannot get excited about knives like that when good steel is so comparatively cheap. Maybe using known commercial steel is "too easy" and junkyard steel gives makers another something to try. Just my opinion. LL
 
Oh good grief, not this this again. :rolleyes:

Guys, before last night, the last post in this thread was nearly 4 years ago. I think it's run its course. Perhaps Stacy will see fit to close it...
 
Simple Truth - Use known steel and make blades of known quality. Use unknown steel and make blades of unknown quality...... it's that simple.



Thread closed - This thread needs to go to bed permanently.
 
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