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hi will mild steel plate 1/8 be ok for kitchen cleaver? i am new to this so i made one the edge seems fine chops well or do i need something else 
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reg plate mild steel
- Thread starter fireandhammer
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Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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No, it won't harden. You need at least 60 points of carbon. 1084 would be a good choice.
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Use a John Deere lawn mower blade.
https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/document/english/pmac/4382_fb_Lawn_Mower_Blades.htm
https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/document/english/pmac/4382_fb_Lawn_Mower_Blades.htm
Do you have any idea what the steel classification would be? Lots of nickle carbon steels out there.
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guy at fab shop says just mild steel
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/shop/
When you have experience, you can play with "found steel" and sometimes get a decent knife ( and sometimes not). When you are new and inexperienced, eliminating as many places for error as possible is the best way to get a good knife. The steel is the MOST important item. Good steel won't guarantee a good knife, but the wrong steel will. 1084 is one of the most forgiving knife making steels. It is cheap, easy to work on, and has a very simple HT. It produces a very good knife, too.
A piece of 1084 2.5" wide, .156" thick, and 48" long costs $35. That will make five 2.5" wide bladed cleavers. If you went to 4" wide blades, it would only cost $54 for the steel to make the five cleavers ... or a whole set of kitchen knives. Depending on what you are going to cut with the cleavers, 1/8" stock may be a better choice, which would drop the price for the 4" bar to $42.
With shipping and professional HT the cleavers/knives will cost you around $15 to $20 each to make the blades. Add some black canvas Micarta for the handles, and you get a set of first rate kitchen knives - made by you - for about $25- $30 each.
When you have experience, you can play with "found steel" and sometimes get a decent knife ( and sometimes not). When you are new and inexperienced, eliminating as many places for error as possible is the best way to get a good knife. The steel is the MOST important item. Good steel won't guarantee a good knife, but the wrong steel will. 1084 is one of the most forgiving knife making steels. It is cheap, easy to work on, and has a very simple HT. It produces a very good knife, too.
A piece of 1084 2.5" wide, .156" thick, and 48" long costs $35. That will make five 2.5" wide bladed cleavers. If you went to 4" wide blades, it would only cost $54 for the steel to make the five cleavers ... or a whole set of kitchen knives. Depending on what you are going to cut with the cleavers, 1/8" stock may be a better choice, which would drop the price for the 4" bar to $42.
With shipping and professional HT the cleavers/knives will cost you around $15 to $20 each to make the blades. Add some black canvas Micarta for the handles, and you get a set of first rate kitchen knives - made by you - for about $25- $30 each.
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I assume the guy at the "fab shop" is not an experienced knifemaker.
I'd do what Stacy says and order yourself some known steel like 1084.
The edge on your mild steel cleaver may be fine for now but it will fail in the near future and yield unsatisfactory results due to the fact the edge is not hard. It will never retain a cutting edge.
Jay