need opinions on steel for machetes

J

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Aug 23, 2003
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185
If you were to make a machete which will be used in high humidity (tropics) and very near salt water for extended periods (up to a month), with little opportunity to keep oiling it, what metal would you use. We're working on a long blade for this situation and my first choice is 440C, but I'd like to know what the experts think.

Thanks!
 
Well, I'm far from an expert, but for a long blade of machete style in a corrosive environment, I'd have to say 12C27 Modified, or something along the lines of 420HC, AUS 4, or something similar. I am assuming stain resistance is a top priority. If its not as big a deal as it sounds, maybe a coated 1050-1075 of some sort. One of the main appeals for me of a machete is that its cheap. The 10xx series of steels are about as cheap as it gets. Surface rust or even pitting on a 10xx series of steels will not really impede a machete. I've left mine out for years, the first one I got that is. I found it later and put on a new handle and it was as good as new. I did wire brush the blade to remove the orange scaly rust. The old handle broke from me throwing it, not corrosion.
 
A coated high/medium carbon steel is gonna hold up better than most stainless steels as far as the forces a machete can encounter. That being said it is not hard to maintain a machete in that environment really. Constant use will keep corrosion at bay and a decent oil coat or a Tuff Cloth application will help too. There are few steels that will corrode so fast as to be an issue in a month or less. Also machetes are usually pretty cheap items. Get one or two and use em and abuse em till they need replacement. I could buy several decent machetes for what it would cost to coat one or commision/make a custom stainless steel one.
 
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Id just buy a Rock Salt and save the hassle.
Not a massive chopper but big enough for most needs.
 
I have a great machete made from 1/16" ATS-34. Ross Aki, who unfortunately gave up knifemaking due to an injury shortly after I got this around 1999 or so.
 
Use 12C27, available from Admiral. It's the toughest stainless out there capable of high hardness and readily available. Of course, it doesn't need to be heat treated to its maximum hardness for a machete.
 
Bill Siegle said:
A coated high/medium carbon steel is gonna hold up better than most stainless steels as far as the forces a machete can encounter.
...
Also machetes are usually pretty cheap items. Get one or two and use em and abuse em till they need replacement. I could buy several decent machetes for what it would cost to coat one or commision/make a custom stainless steel one.
Click to expand...

Or, combine the two ideas!

Buy FIVE decent machetes at $10/each:
http://www.discountcutlery.net/en-us/dept_21529.html

And a can of gunkote at $30:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1150

And every weekyou can abuse one weatherproof machete into OBLIVION, and still have one in your hand at the end of the month.


All for $80: half the cost of a custom chopper.

Thats the route I would go. :cool:
;)
 
MSCantrell said:
Or, combine the two ideas!

Buy FIVE decent machetes at $10/each:
http://www.discountcutlery.net/en-us/dept_21529.html

And a can of gunkote at $30:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1150

And every weekyou can abuse one weatherproof machete into OBLIVION, and still have one in your hand at the end of the month.


All for $80: half the cost of a custom chopper.

Thats the route I would go. :cool:
;)
Click to expand...

Hengelo_77 said:
I always thought that 5160 would be best for a hard-core chopper.
Click to expand...

yuppers

OR

1095

Or just go and get a tram or 2 :p
 
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