mini prybar

W

Whoever Wherever

Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
1,124
I have a guy asking me for a 6-7" prybar tool with a blunt dive knife kind of shape. Think a rhazel with 45 degree angles leading to the tip. He wants more strength than sharpness and thats where I lose footing. What steel would give me the strength and impact resistance to use this more as a beater stick with an edge than a sharp cutting tool. Any help would be apreciated. :D
 
Let me elaborate more and maybe I'll get a better answer. I am not making him a crowbar or I would just tell him to go buy one. As I like to think I make knives I want it to hold its edge even if its not up to normal "good knife steel" standards. I just know he wants to error on the side of toughness and impact resistance over edge holding. As I'm still a noob I have only had time to focus on steels that I want around 59-60 and are gona hold a good edge for along time. Is there a steel used for axes or something like that I should be considering?
 
Now I'm no expert in this area, but I think I've seen it addressed on the forums here before.

As I recall, the consensus was that thickness is the important factor. Like, 1/4" of bad steel will be tougher than 1/8" of good steel.

So I think you should be fine with any of your normal blade steels, if you just make the bar nice and beefy (1/4") and heat treat as usual.

Hopefully someone with some direct experience doing this will chime in?
 
Use a steel you're familiar with and temper it down just a little bit more than for a knife. Say to 54-56 rcH.

I just had to make the opposite, 8 foot long prybars.

WS
 
In our machine shop, we're using 1090 octagon bar to make chisels and prybars up to 3 feet in length. I think knife steels would be fine for your project, maybe just temper hotter, like a dark purple instead of a light straw.
 
ok i ll do it i like cpm3v i have beat on knives made out of 3/16 3v its storng and holds an edge
also i have some getting worked over over in the sand box with nothing but good word sent back
 
Thanks guys. I'll look into cpm3v. I was figuring a lower RC would be needed but wasnt shure if it would be tough enough. Sounds like with a lower RC and a good thickness I should be in the clear.
 
"In our machine shop, we're using 1090 octagon bar to make chisels and prybars up to 3 feet in length. I think knife steels would be fine for your project, maybe just temper hotter, like a dark purple instead of a light straw."

Sounds like interesting stuff for integral knives. Do you know who supplies it, and in what sizes?

John
 
I'll check on it, I'm in college here in Nelson, BC, Canada. Nobody seems to know much about it, only that it's supposedly wicked expensive. I guess it just gets shipped in with the yearly supplies... I'll see what I can find out though.
 
wicked expensive is also a relative word however. If the shop uses mostly mild structural steel which they can get for 50c /lb or less in bulk, then any tool steel is going to be wicked expensive. After a while of normal blacksmithing, buying my first bar of O1 tool steel was painfull, knowing how much normal steel i could get for the same price
 
We've got it in the shop from about 1/2" up to 1" thickness. I think the 3/4" was supposedly worth 30-40 bucks per foot. Found a label on it today that says it's from Vanguard Steel, but I can't get the flash plugins required to use thier website. I've got a couple of 12" chunks that I'd be willing to part with as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top