Star masonry drills?

[Swivelknife]

Does anyone know if the old star drills for masonry that were hammered by hand are any good for forging blades? I understand they are high carbon steel. I recently acquired 30 of these that are probably over 50 years old but they have never been used and do have a little surface rust. I have them in 5/8", 7/16", 11/16" and 13/16" and they are about 11/12 inches in length. I would assume that they would be adequate in size for forging most blades. Does any one know what type of steel they might be? Most of them were from Diamond Tool Co. and a couple from Thor. If they are worth a hoot I will probably take them to some hammer ins to give away to friends. Sandy Morrissey

 

[Mark Williams]

Sandy,

Not sure what they are. But you know how much SOME knifemakers just love to scrounge for steely tidbits. A fella that goes by Crex comes to mind.

 

[Swivelknife]

Oh, how true, Mark! I contacted Crex by phone and he seemed to think they might work OK. When you come to the hammer in at Trackrock you can put them to the test! Looking forward to see you,my friend! Sandy