Questions regarding Fisher Knives tapered steel

[whetrock]

Has anybody used this stuff ? How's it stack up, and what, if any knives have you made out of it ? It's pretty inexpensive, but the steel winds up being the least expensive part of the knife usually, and by most competent makers account, the most important. Probably not worth skipping, I have a decent supply of good, bought, steel for my skill level anyways, but was curious if this stuff was worth owning or using, in ya'lls humble or not so humble opinions. For some reason I was kind of interested. Might be nice for experimenting with. All in all, just something I came across, and couldn't find a lot of buzz about.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I made a stack of cheap kitchen blades from it when they started selling it. They were OK, but I got out of the cheap knife business. It is just basic 420 stainless steel. The knives cut well and there was something like $2-3 per blade in the steel. With batch HT it was about $6 per blade total cost per blade. Add a linen Micarta handle and brass pins....and the knife cost about $10 to make.

I profiled the blades, drilled handle holes, HTed, soaked in muriatic acid to give an even tone surface, used a Scotch-Brite belt to clean the bevels, put on handle, sharpened. Done in a batch of about fifty, it took just about fifteen to twenty minutes work time each.

It isn't CPM-S35VN, but it makes a perfectly fine knife.

 

[whetrock]

I really appreciate the response Stacy. I had the similar thought about making some inexpensive knives. I don't know if that's the right train of thought though, to sell for a particular price range, that's dominated by production, large scale production companies. It's hard to beat those 5 dollar Victorinox paring knives, for inexpensive parers, as well as Old Hickory etc. I'm kind of thinking it's maybe best to leave the inexpensive knives, to large scale conglomerates. Still It'd be one way to make a living in knives.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you aren't already busy making lots of knives, it is a very reasonable steel. You don't have to make cheap handles or factory finished blades. I just went after the higher end market, and there are only so many days in a week.