Stainless for Hilt

[Steve Beckwith]

Anyone have a favorite stainless for making hilts? I have looked at the Online Metals website and there are several. Is one softer/easier to work? Take a better polish? Alternately, does anyone have a source of reasonably priced nickel silver? Thanx, Steve B

 

[mete]

Nickel silver seems to be pricing itself out of the market . For stainless 416 is the most often used .The 300 series is too "gummy" as machinists call it .

 

[A C Richards]

302, 303 are good candidates. 416 is pretty nice working. 304, 316 are really "gummy" and not real fun to work.