New guy needs help

C

CounterStrike

Joined
Feb 9, 2002
Messages
3
Guys, I need some help. I'm not a knife maker or machinist but I tried my hand at both today and made the knife you see below. I found a stainless steel shaft from a chemical pump that had been rotted in two by acid. The remaining shaft looked so unique I wanted to do something (anything) with it rather that scrap it. So I took this inch and a half thick shaft to the lathe and then the mill to see what I could do. While crude looking and still in need of some metal work I am happy with what I ended up with. The problem is that the steel is very soft and in need of some heat treatment. I don't expect this knife to really see any use and I imagine it is not the best steel for a knife, but I would like to make it hard enough to be more than a wall hanger. So what type of home brew things can I do and what type of results might I expect.

Thanks in advance,

CS


CounterStrike%2Fknife%2Ejpg

CounterStrike%2Facid%2Ejpg
 
That sure is a wild looking knife..
Sorry I am no help when it comes to stainless maybe someone else can help you out.
Bruce
 
If you're really serious about it, I'd do first things first. I would have a chemical analysis run. I'd wait till you get the results back, that will tell you a lot and what direction to take next. Just list the chemical content and I could let you know what it will do and how or whether to go about heat treating it. Hope this helps.
 
That is realy interesting, but without a chem. analysis there's no way to tell how to heat treat. I'm not sure, but I don't think most corosion resistant pump shafts are heat treatable.

If not, just finish it and keep it. Bet you can't make just one!:D
 
A simple test will help tell if it is heat treatable or not. Check it with a magnet, if it is not magnetic it is probably a 300 series stainless and it will not heat treat. If if is magnetic it may heat treat depending on the concentration of carbon in the alloy.
 
I checked it with a magnet and it is slightly magnetic. I used a rare earth magnet and the was some attraction but not much. Anyway, I have no clue as to how to go about getting a chemical analysis done but I do have a piece of the shaft left over I could use for that purpose. So I'm just out of luck then? I mean this thing is really soft.
 
Sorry to say, I think you are out of luck on this one. If it was heat treatable stainless steel, it would attract the magnet like any high carbon tool steel.
I am guessing that it is 300 series, or low 400 series. Sorry. :(
 
Sounds like it can't be hardened, that sucks. But the bright side is that you came up with something pretty cool on your first try. Sounds like you have the skills and equipment to make some great knives, all you need is some better steel. Order a chunk or two and see what else you can come up with :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top