My first Knife

K

kevin pons

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Nov 26, 2019
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I am a first time knife maker and i am looking for a good steel supplier in my area, i know most of the steel suppliers in my area however they mostly carry structural steel, nothing suitable for blade steel

the particular style of knife i am looking to make is a nikiri/usuba, i feel like with its relatively simple geometry it will be a good candidate for a first knife, i plan on doing a stock removal method to for the blade from a piece of bar stock. my goal for the final Rockwell after temper is 60-65, what would be a good blade steel to reach that, i plan on outsourcing the heat treating process.

and any other tips you feel might be helpful will be greatly appreciated!
 
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Bar stock is not optimal for stock removal because it's a lot more work. I suggest you use flat stock. There are many websites where you can buy steels suitable for knife making so it's not a problem if none of the local suppliers don't have any. What kinds of tools do you have in hand?
 
Your profile lists your location as Oklahoma you should order a catalog from "Jantz Supply" they are located in Davis, Oklahoma and they carry everything you would need for knife making. They have a great online store and seems like everything I order is always in stock(not always the case with other knife supply houses).
 
Busto said:
Your profile lists your location as Oklahoma you should order a catalog from "Jantz Supply" they are located in Davis, Oklahoma and they carry everything you would need for knife making. They have a great online store and seems like everything I order is always in stock(not always the case with other knife supply houses).
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Agreed & online is much better than going to the store too... The place is a mess!
 
For USA suppliers you have Alpha knife supply, New Jersey Steel Baron, Jantz, USA knife maker, Pops knife supply, Texas Knife maker, Admiral steel, Niagara specialty Metal, and I'm sure there are more. I have been getting steel from Alpha knife supply recently I like there newish steel 26c3.
O yeah don't buy steel from unknown SCAMBAY(EBAY) suppliers
 
Alpha knife supply.
I second the 26c3. Makes an awesome kitchen knife. Or if you like stainless they carry aeb-L.
 
In case you're not aware - the usuba is an extremely specialized knife, generally considered to be hard to maintain well, and not really suitable for board work. It also requires a concave back side. If you're not already familiar with Japanese single bevel knives, the nakiri may be a better choice. You could always use an usuba profile, but do a double bevel.
 
Nick Dunham said:
In case you're not aware - the usuba is an extremely specialized knife, generally considered to be hard to maintain well, and not really suitable for board work. It also requires a concave back side. If you're not already familiar with Japanese single bevel knives, the nakiri may be a better choice. You could always use an usuba profile, but do a double bevel.
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To the OP, This^^^ Make a 50/50 bevel grind knife for your first ... I use Stainless for all of my kitchen blades. Most people don’t know how to care for a carbon steel knife these days. I use AEB-L & 440C... I grind after HT. I used Jantz Supply years ago but now buy my steel(s) from NJSB. Send it out to Buck Knives for HT. It’s called Paul Bos HT and it’s inside the Buck factory in Idaho..
 
While I understand Nick's comments, an usuba is mostly a shape IMHO. It is a kitchen utility knife with a more or less squared off end. It can be a thin western grind closer to a nikiri as well as a thicker traditional Japanese grind with urasuki.

I make them regularly and use a standard double grind. I use .060 to .010 stock, depending on the user and foods that will be processed. I never considered them any more problem to make or maintain than a regular kitchen knife. My usuba have a slight rocker to the edge, like a very shallow santoku.

For those wanting to make a set of blades to do most all kitchen tasks, try a petty, santoku, usuba. If you want a big heavy knife for breaking down fish and chicken, make a deba as well. These all can be western (double) grinds. You can do FFG, sabre grind, or convex grind. Don't let a description in a book or internet listing determine what works for you and your equipment.
 

26C3 - C 1.4, Cr .4, Mn .5 , Si .3
Below are the Hitach specs from Zknives
C, Cr, Mo,V,W,Co,Ni,Mn,Si,S, P,Cu, Nb,N
White 1 -
Fe 1.25-1.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
White 2 -
Fe 1.05-1.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
White 3 -
Fe 0.80-0.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
White Saw -
Fe 0.90-1.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.15-0.25 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.0

Blue 1 -
Fe 1.25-1.35 0.30-0.50 0.00 0.00 1.50-2.00 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
Blue 2 -
Fe 1.05-1.15 0.20-0.50 0.00 0.00 1.00-1.50 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
Blue Super -
Fe 1.40-1.50 0.30-0.50 0.00 0.30-0.50 2.00-2.50 0.00 0.00 0.20-0.30 0.10-0.20 0.004 0.025 0.00 0.00 0.00
26C3 - C 1.4, Cr .4, (no V or W) Mn .5 , Si .3


I believe Larin calls 26C3 spicy White, but I call it Spicy Super Blue.
 
But is the Tungsten not make blue so wear resistant material.
It's what makes blue blue
Can a steel be compared to it without the W?
 
I didn't say it was exactly like Blue steel, just that is was pretty much the same … I probably should have said it was similar. It isn't exactly like any Hitachi paper steel. My comment was that the formulation is very close to Blue with the exception of the V and W. I find the amount of Mn in 26C3 makes it harden much different from White. 26C3 seems to perform and HT much like the Blue steels.
 
tim37a said:
kmf600 - Why do you not recommend Peter's for AEB- l?
Tim
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I've had 4 blades break they heat treated. You can see where they hit them with a torch to straighten them, and that's where they broke. I called them and they said it was the steel, I've had other places heat treat my AEB-L and never had a problem. I'm just not a fan of them.
 
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