No... 1095 isn't that simple, despite what some may tell you. It takes heating to a precise temperature and then has to be dropped 1000 degrees drastically, but controlled, in about one second. A torch is going to give you a knife that may seem hardened, but not. It usually ends up more like jello with ice cubes in it if you take that route, meaning areas of hardness surrounded by soft metal. The reason why is a torch will never get the whole edge to the right temperature and maintain it there until the exact moment it needs to be quenched. It isn't overly complicated, but it is harder than a lot of people give it credit for. Most who state they just eyeballed it with a torch most likely did not have a properly heat treated blade.
Try 1084 first. Files, saw blades, old car springs, lawnmower blades, can all be something different and sometimes unique. It takes a while before you can predictably work with mystery steel, and then it is still a crap shoot. 1084 is pretty forgiving, and can be done with a torch. I always caution new makers from trying to gauge temperature by color, even with a chart. My red isn't your red, etc. For an example, I have heard "blood red" for steel for years, however have never seen steel in any state that I would call blood red. Hence why it is hard to take another's advice when it comes to color indicators.
Read the stickies, lots of good info in there for a first knife and steel choice.
