Started my first blade today! I'm so excited.

J

jcrim007

Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Messages
64
well, I took everyone advice and started hand cutting/shaping my own blade today for my first hand made knife. I was sitting around think of metal that might be around the house... and bang, it hit me. I have an old edger out by the garbage cans that I was going to take to the dump next time I go. so I stripped it of it's blade, and took my dremel and cleaned all the rust off. I've got it to a nice shine now, but it still needs some buffing before it can be done.

I don't know what type of steel this is. but I figure that it could be my knife too keep and be proud of, seeing how it will be my first. if the steel is no good, then at least it's practice with grinding, cutting and buffing. either way it will help me in the long run.

does anyone know what type of steel this might be? it has some #'s on it: "6107 DZ09544" don't know if the mean anything though. I'm not a pro at steel grades/types yet :) but I know some of you are. it's from a Stihl edger.

I'm having a blast so far. just cleaning and planning on how to cut the metal!

Thanks for reading,
 
To see if it is suitable for a knife just heat one end of it until it is non magnetic and quickly quench it in water and see if it will break off in a vice. If it will snap off it has enough carbon to heat treat and therefore hold an edge. This simple test will work on any non stainless carbon steel.

The number you see on it is a part number I think not a steel number.
 
I'm guessing that because it was an edger blade, it is already heat treated? if that is the case, it will be really tough to cut... do you have a way to anneal it if it is already hard?

cheers... and congrats on getting started

erik
 
Slightly off topic, but does anyone know how good blades from lawn mowers are for making knives from? Just curious because they could make a big fixed blade or two from just one of them. Thanks.
 
Yes. Lawnmower blades can be used for good banger knives...if you can anneal it, work it and then HT it, it makes a good blade.
 
I saw a posting here, or somewhere from someone in the lawn mower business and he said that they use a carbon /manganese steel of the 15xx series IIRC. Certainly to be used as an edger it has to have enough carbon to at least make a first knife.
 
Thanks Pendentive and mete :) I'll have to find a day to go to the dump and look for some nice ones.
 
jcrim007 and all,
I had a friend bring his son over to make a knife. I helped him forge one from an old lawn mower blade. After he had been working on it a while, and it had been hardened and sharpined, I could tell he wasn't too happy with his efforts. I just took his knife, chopped an old 2 X 4 and it would still shave hair.
He left much happier.
The moral of the story is there is more in heat treating than what kind of steel. The best steel you can buy is still only as good as the heat treatment.
Learning and sometines teaching, Lynn
 
well... i've come to a conclusion about this edger blade. most of you were right! this blade is already tempered. man was it hard! took me an hour to get not even half way done. and i also ruined a $7 dremel diamond carbide cutting tool (which has been good at cutting everything else in the past) in the process. the steel almost melted the poor cutting wheel. so i guess this answers my questions about the blade.

thanks for the help and info from all. i am going to have to buy some steel to start with, because that is all i had around the house.

thanks again,
 
look in the phone book for a local place that manufactures automotive springs. The places that just sell them usually have barstock that is already hardened. The places that manufacture them usually have annealed barstock in 22' lengths that they then cut down to size and heat treat themselves. They might have a foot or two of scrap they will sell you for very cheap... I ended up getting some annealed 1.75" x 3/16" 5160 for around $2.50 a foot.
 
Buy yourself some O1 steel, and stop playing around with scrap stuff. You are wasting valuable time(which equals money). Also, buying steel guarantees that you know what you're working with. With scrap, you never know what you will end up with.
 
thanks guys.

i am actually going to go ahead and order some A2 or O1 from admiral steel tomorrow.

after i get it shaped up, i am going to try and find some locals that might have an oven to temper it with. if not that, then texasknife.com does tempering service for about $6 per blade.

thanks,
 
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