Need Some Advice........

[jester63755]

I am fairly new to knife making and I am needing to order more steel. I have made 3 knives from 1095 with good success, but was considering using 5160 this time. I use a small propane forge and edge quench in Canola oil. So, should I just stick with the 1095, or should I venture out a bit and get the 5160? I have read a lot of folks saying use 1084 when starting out, but it seems mainly due to the HT and quenching process, which I haven't ran into any problems there. I would like the reasoning behind choosing 1 over the other, considering I am pretty new to this. Thanks guys! The knives I like to make are camp/utility/bushcraft oriented, if that helps any.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

1095, 5160, or 1084 all will do fine for those type knives. If you are getting good results with 1095, no need to go to 5160 unless you want a big and robust chopper.

 

[jester63755]

Thanks for the response bladsmth. After 144 views and no response, I thought I had a booger hanging out of my nose! lol I went ahead and ordered the 1095 earlier today for the same reason you mentioned. If it aint broke, don't fix it! I decided to make several knives with 1095 before moving on to anything else. Heck, I may NEVER move on to anything else. 1095 performs as well as I could hope for a blade. I have chopped a 2x4 in half and sharpened it like a pencil, yet the blade is still shaving sharp. You won't buy that at Walmart! Thanks again for the response bladsmth!!!!