Steel for hunting knife?

P

PlayMaker

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Nov 4, 2007
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What are good steels for a hunting/survival/camp knife? I've heard that 1045 is good because it's cheap,soft and easy to sharpen but wouldn't I want a knife that can hold an edge better? If money was no object what steel would you choose?
 
You are talking about 3 different types of knife. A hunting knife needs to be thin and razor sharp--stainless is a very big plus. Often people use their "camp knife" for chores better suited to a hatchet. These need to be long and heavy (usually kind of thick) for that purpose. For some people a camp knife works for a survival knife, but others want something easier to carry. It needs to be very tough for its size. A carbon steel is a good choice for toughness and easy sharpening. A do-it-all blade is a compromise. I wouldn't pick something as soft as 1045. I would pick 1084 for a longer blade and 1095, 52100, W2, or O1 for something in the mid range for size.
 
You will get a lot of "it depends" kind of answers to this question - so I'll just spit out a couple choices. I'd choose S30V if I'm the buyer - and CPM154 if I'm the maker. Have the heat treat done by someone who is experienced with these steels. Both are outstanding steels for any of the knives you mention.

Rob!
 
If you are making it yourself, and your experience ,budget,and equipment are somewhat limited, I would suggest 5160. It is cheap to buy, tough, easy to HT, takes a good edge, and is easy to sharpen.
Stacy
 
O1, 3V, A2, 5160, 1085, etc.

depends on if you are going to HT yourself.
 
Sorry for the confusion. I didn't realize that hunting and camp/survival knives were different in categories. Well I guess I'm talking about the camp/survival knife mentioned. I won't be making it myself, though I would like to in the future. I already have a knife design picked out but I believe that most of those particular knives made nowadays are made of scrap metal from unexploded ordnance. I'll probaby pick a steel and have someone else make it. The blade will be 10" long with about a 1/8" spine.
 
The blade is only going to be as good as the person heat treating it. Take an awesome steel and if you don't know how to properly heat treat it, you might as well buy a knife made in Taiwan :D
 
Hey Playmaker,
Fill out your profile so we know who you're near, and folks can offer assist if you need it.

I thought you said you are serious about becoming a knifemaker. Why wait? you have a blade you are interested in, you have ideas as to what it should be, the longer you wait the longer it will be, and the more reasons you will have that you're not ready.
Order yourself some 1075 or 1084 steel,(it's forgiving as hell) in a size you can cut your blade from,order the $50 knife shop book from Wayne Goddard(it's forgiving as hell) and start work. Keep us posted on your progress and ask for help when you need it.

-Page
 
Take a look at the Crowell & Barker knife from Browning. See how that fits your ideas. It is an example of what you can do with a knife in the 1084-1085 alloy range. I think AG Russell has these at a reasonable price if you just want to try one. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=501041&highlight=crowell

PS. Nobody in this country would use unexploded ordinance for a knife blade. A better choice is old truck leaf suspension springs if you have to scrounge for materials. If you don't know what alloy they are made from you need to do some hardening experiments before you make your knife.
 
You're right...nobody in this country would use unexploded ordnance to make knives but my knife is made in southeast asia where theres a surplus of steel from bombs dropped during the war.
 
PlayMaker said:
You're right...nobody in this country would use unexploded ordnance to make knives but my knife is made in southeast asia where theres a surplus of steel from bombs dropped during the war.
Click to expand...

To use unexploded ordnance properly, you must first spark test the steel to determine it's composition . This explains why most successful blade steel scroungers in Southeast Asia prefer old manhole covers stolen off the streets of Bombay. (or so I'm told) :D

Rob!
 
Rob! said:
To use unexploded ordnance properly, you must first spark test the steel to determine it's composition . This explains why most successful blade steel scroungers in Southeast Asia prefer old manhole covers stolen off the streets of Bombay. (or so I'm told) :D

Rob!
Click to expand...

im no expert but, since when are manhole covers high-carbon?
 
Personally, I've used O1, 5160, 15n20, and 1084 and they all work great. The 1084 I have is really really nice stuff (thanks to aldo and mace) and I'm leaning towards that and 15n20 as my primary steels to use.

You also might want to try out some questions on steel, temper, edge geometry, and usage on the W&S forum.

Personally, and this is very personal, I don't use a camp/survival knife much for chopping. I tend towards the 4-6 inch blade school, and- A hatchet is a Good Thing to have around.
 
Anywhere in the world you can find old car springs. You don't want a knife made from a bomb casing.
 
Of course I don't want a knife made of bomb casings, that's why I'm here so maybe you can impart some knowledge on me. I have a blade of a desgin to my liking but the steel is stained and the blade is dented. Maybe someone can recommend a steel best for a camp/survival knife and tell me why. Then maybe someone can tell me where I can find a bladesmith expert at that particular type of steel to remake the knife.
 
well, there's plenty of knifemakers here- and the truth is that there isn't (as far as I can tell) any One True Steel for a general purpose camp/survival knife. Posting pictures of the blade in question would help, though.

I'd certainly recommend having a go at it- whether you use recycled steel or new, and knowing you might make the knife 5 times before it's Really Good (though with a little attention the first one will be fine and usable)- just go for it. I started wityh Ace sandpaper, one nicholson 12 inch file, and a castoff 6 inch grinder. I did a LOT of hand filing (but then again, I'm glad I did).
 
Seriously dude, I would love a commission to make your knife, depending on what you wanted you would probably spend a couple hundred bucks by the time I had the labor and such into making a custom piece that I'm satisfied to charge you for, and I'm cheap! You could invest the same amount of money into some tools to get started, and a nice chunk of simple carbon steel, and make yourself something . As Kevin Cashen suggested in your other thread where you stated you were serious about becoming a knifemaker, you will begin to develop the collection of experience that all of us have piled up somewhere, but with a little patience, perseverence, and advice from the helpful folks here, you will likely have a much shorter learning curve than I did (for more than 20 years I tried to teach myself just from books and the knife magazines, and trying stuff, and built up quite the scrap pile)
Get some steel and have a go at it. Trust me, when you have a tool on your belt that stays sharp when you use it, and your buddy asks where you got it, the disbelief on their face will be worth the blisters.
you gotta be careful though, it's kind of addictive :D next thing y'know you'll be out in the backyard makin charcoal so you can cook rocks into steel!


-Page
 
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