Hey all...I am new to the forum and relatively new to knife making. Been doing it for the past two years and really enjoy learning tricks of the trade. I have a probably over asked question but here goes. I have used 1075 and 1095 steel for my blades so far and really like working with them but are they actually good steels for everyday carry and use knives? I see mixed reviews but am now actually on a dedicated forum so there will be so much more experience and wisdom here that I can actually take as tried and tested. Thanks for everyone's time.
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- Thread starter showgoat
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Bill DeShivs
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Both are high carbon steels and will make good blades. They will rust, though.
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Welcome showgoat. Fill out your profile so we know a bit about you and where you live.
Choice of steel depends on use, environment, and personal preference. All the normal knife steels will make a usable and sharp knife. Blade shape and geometry are far more important in most cases.
As for steel choice there are two main choices - carbon steel and stainless steel. Between those realms are tool steels.
Carbon steels can be very simple, like 1075, 1084, and 1095. These have only minor alloying beyond the iron and carbon.
Then you get carbon steels with alloying added to give it better toughness or hardness or other features - 26C3, 52100, 5160, 1084FG, Cruforge-V, Wolfram special, etc.
Tool steels and their cousins have higher amounts of alloying to give them higher toughness and hardness. - D-2, A-1, 15N20, S-7, etc,
The stainless steels have over 13% chromium and after hardening they resist rusting and staining. This group is very large and has many knife choices. - m440C, magnacut, AST-34/CPM-154, 12C27, S-35VN/S45VN. etc.
Dr. Larrin Thomas is one of our members here and he has written THE book on knife steels and treatment. I highly recommend getting it - Knife Engineering
His site Knife Nerds is also a great source for those who want to know more about knives and steel.
knifesteelnerds.com
Choice of steel depends on use, environment, and personal preference. All the normal knife steels will make a usable and sharp knife. Blade shape and geometry are far more important in most cases.
As for steel choice there are two main choices - carbon steel and stainless steel. Between those realms are tool steels.
Carbon steels can be very simple, like 1075, 1084, and 1095. These have only minor alloying beyond the iron and carbon.
Then you get carbon steels with alloying added to give it better toughness or hardness or other features - 26C3, 52100, 5160, 1084FG, Cruforge-V, Wolfram special, etc.
Tool steels and their cousins have higher amounts of alloying to give them higher toughness and hardness. - D-2, A-1, 15N20, S-7, etc,
The stainless steels have over 13% chromium and after hardening they resist rusting and staining. This group is very large and has many knife choices. - m440C, magnacut, AST-34/CPM-154, 12C27, S-35VN/S45VN. etc.
Dr. Larrin Thomas is one of our members here and he has written THE book on knife steels and treatment. I highly recommend getting it - Knife Engineering
His site Knife Nerds is also a great source for those who want to know more about knives and steel.
New Book! Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry - Knife Steel Nerds
Update 4/14/2024: Gameco is sold out but Amazon Australia has it now. Update 3/29/2022: I added that SD Knives and Supplies is the place to buy in South Africa Update 3/31/2021: I added that Gameco is the place to buy in Australia. Update 10/13/2020: I completed a minor revision to Knife...
knifesteelnerds.com
Great info...thanks for the reply and am going to look up THE book right nowWelcome showgoat. Fill out your profile so we know a bit about you and where you live.
Choice of steel depends on use, environment, and personal preference. All the normal knife steels will make a usable and sharp knife. Blade shape and geometry are far more important in most cases.
As for steel choice there are two main choices - carbon steel and stainless steel. Between those realms are tool steels.
Carbon steels can be very simple, like 1075, 1084, and 1095. These have only minor alloying beyond the iron and carbon.
Then you get carbon steels with alloying added to give it better toughness or hardness or other features - 26C3, 52100, 5160, 1084FG, Cruforge-V, Wolfram special, etc.
Tool steels and their cousins have higher amounts of alloying to give them higher toughness and hardness. - D-2, A-1, 15N20, S-7, etc,
The stainless steels have over 13% chromium and after hardening they resist rusting and staining. This group is very large and has many knife choices. - m440C, magnacut, AST-34/CPM-154, 12C27, S-35VN/S45VN. etc.
Dr. Larrin Thomas is one of our members here and he has written THE book on knife steels and treatment. I highly recommend getting it - Knife Engineering
His site Knife Nerds is also a great source for those who want to know more about knives and steel.
New Book! Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry - Knife Steel Nerds
Update 4/14/2024: Gameco is sold out but Amazon Australia has it now. Update 3/29/2022: I added that SD Knives and Supplies is the place to buy in South Africa Update 3/31/2021: I added that Gameco is the place to buy in Australia. Update 10/13/2020: I completed a minor revision to Knife...
Thank you sir
Sando
Knife Maker
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- Jul 4, 2002
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Welcome showgoat!
It's great to question yourself and open to trying new things. Good for you. You got some great advice here already.
I've done some 1075 blades, but no 1095. (I'm gonna get shot for this, but ...) I don't think 1095 is a great choice. For the balance of high hardness and reasonable toughness and low price, I think there are better options.
If you're looking for recommendations on what to try next ...
Here's a thought: I think 5160 is a great steel. Leaf and coil springs are usually 5160, so it's easy to find. You might want to try that for your next test knife. Easy to use, polishes great, and tough.
For lighter use, thin knives try some 26C3. Temper at 450f and it's remarkable.
Excellent suggestion...I do have access to some leaf springs. I have a propane forge that I built about 2 years ago when I started. Unfortunately I have a rr track anvil at the moment and thinning out a spring might take me a little while but should be well worth the effort and I'm sure I'll get a lesson or two out of it. Am glad I joined here for the advice. Thank you.
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Hi Sando,
1095 over here looks very low manganese, .3 to .5% I was thinking on giving it a shot at a hamon in a bowie would it be ok for that?
Last edited:
Sando
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W
Way-Barney
good question. Sorry I wouldn't know. But heck try it out on a test 3" blade first. I'm doing exactly that on a 3" ApexUltra blade today. I don't think there will be any sign of a hamon, but, as they say, "testing is the mother of failure." Or something like that.
Didn't know what a hamon was til 2 or 3 comments ago lol. Had an accidental one when I first started and now that I know what it is and an idea on how to get one to form I'm definitely gonna try it. Do I need to acid etch to define it better or does it look good naturally?
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Manganese. "Mn" Magnesium is Mg.
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Thanks for pointing that out Mike, I will edit my post, not to look clever but to avoid confusion.
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Hi Showgoat,
Thats great news. Was your Hamon in 1095 visible from the off? what did you do to "see" it?
I could just see it when I polished the blade but looking back I had also nearly finished my bevels and then heat treated which I believe is a bad idea(was very new then lol) and I probably way overheated the edge and that is why I got that. Not for sure on that of course but it kinda makes sense to me. Since then I normalize a few times then heat treat after all drilling and before any grinding on the bevels.
Alex Topfer
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Depends if you feel like becoming a professional sword polisher
Polishing hamons is a very complex skill, and it seems everyone does it slightly differently. I usually do a ferric chloride etch, followed by polishing and etching with vinegar
It might be a good idea to play around with a few steels and see what you like. You'll probably find steels you like using
I think 10xx steels are fine, my most used knife is a 1080 nakiri.