Stainless steel options for hand filing

C

Cletus Spuckler

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Sep 10, 2022
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Hello!

I want to venture into making some stainless hunting knives for my folks. All of my previous knives have been 1084. I do not have a grinder, so I would be hand-filing my bevels with a filing jig.
Does anyone have suggestions on which stainless steels would be "easily" hand fileable (pre-heat treatment obviously)?

My options are:
- 440C
- 154CM
- CPM S35-VN
-CPM 154
-Nitro-V
- CPM D-2 Semi-Stainless Tool Steel

As an aside, I will get these knives professionally heat treated, so heat treatment complexity shouldn't be a worry (hopefully...)

Please let me know and thanks!
 
I've done some hand filing of most of those types and not noticed any big differences. Alpha Knife Supply for example lists the as delivered condition and usually says annealed to fully soft.
 
another vote for cpm154
 
All those should file well with a good file and proper technique.

RWL-34/154CM/CPM-154 are all basically the same. They make good knives. I used it for many years.

I make most of my stainless knives from CPM-S35VN now.

Your biggest issue will be finishing after HT. It will take lots of hand sanding. Start with 100 grit, then 220, and finally 400 grit. Don't move up until you are completely done with the last grit. Taking the finish above 400 grit is a personal choice, but unnecessary on a hunting knife.
Use wet sanding techniques and a hard wood backing block.
I like to put a teaspoon of dish soap in a half gallon of water when wet sanding.
Dip the block often.
Change paper like it was free. You will waste time and effort trying to stretch extra life out of a worn piece of sandpaper.
At each grit step, change the water and wash everything up well, including your hands.
 
If you get it professionally heat treated you should be able to finish as high as you like pre HT and only have to remove a very thin hardening skin post HT
 
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