Steel for throwing knives

ginshun

ginshun

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Apr 6, 2004
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Just wondering who here has made throwing knives, and what they have made them out of. I am thinking of making a few and I have access through work to lots of regular old mild steel (A36). I know that it couldn't be hardened, but then again I don't know that it really needs to be, as I don't care too much about it holding an edge. As long as it stays somewhat pointy it would be good enough. It should also be very tough and should never break or crack, and this is another important trait in a thrower.

Just wondering what peoples thoughts on it were.
 
I would recomend 1080 with an edge quinch (point). Then run threw 3or 4 temper cycles to bring down the hardness. Or just grind of some leaf springs. not too hard and have a spring temper to keep from breaking. With A36 your points aren't going to last long.
 
Five years ago I was working on a camp knife and due to geometry / bad quench technique I got 5 cracks almost perfectly perpendicular to the edge. This was one of my first attempts learning to do my own heat treating and one of those inevitable lessons learned. At any rate, I never finished it out. What I did do was temper it for the heck of it. I was pretty bummed that I had spent so much time on the knife and couldn't really use it, so I cord wrapped the handle and figured I'd entertain myself by throwing it at a stump (at least until one of the cracks propogated and the blade went in half). Long story short, I started having fun with the knife throwing thing, darn near wore out two stumps over the course of the year and never broke the blade.

The steel was 5160.
 
I was going to say maybe 5160, too, although I don't have any personal experience with it. It has a reputation for toughness. You could probably do several tempers in an oven, as was suggested, then do a further temper with a propane torch while holding just the point in a bucket of water. You'd end up with a very tough blade and a harder point.

Josh
 
cordovan said:
Five years ago I was working on a camp knife and due to geometry / bad quench technique I got 5 cracks almost perfectly perpendicular to the edge. This was one of my first attempts learning to do my own heat treating and one of those inevitable lessons learned. At any rate, I never finished it out. What I did do was temper it for the heck of it. I was pretty bummed that I had spent so much time on the knife and couldn't really use it, so I cord wrapped the handle and figured I'd entertain myself by throwing it at a stump (at least until one of the cracks propogated and the blade went in half). Long story short, I started having fun with the knife throwing thing, darn near wore out two stumps over the course of the year and never broke the blade.

The steel was 5160.
Click to expand...

I'll third that one.
 
I have been making throwing knives for over 20 years and have made thousands. I only had one that came back. It broke at the hole in the handle. I did not chamfer the hole before heat treat. 5160 would be the easiest to make a good thrower for a first time effort. Use at least 3/16ths steel. Never ever only harden the tip only. That make keep the tip from breaking, but after numerous throws, your knife will be wrinkled like a potato chip. It is just as easy to harden and temper the whole blade.
Hope this helps.
Bobby
 
How difficult is it to harden 5160 without a heat treat oven? As in just with a forge and no thermocouple or anything to get a temp reading? Again, I don't care so much about the knife holding an edge, just about it not getting terribly deformed and blunted from throwing.

Anybody have a decent source for 5160?
 
Theres probably a few sources but I have been using admiralsteel for a while and never had any problems. Unfortunately they only sell 5160 in bulk.
 
I've used 1018 and "commercial" cold-rolled steel (0.10% C) for throwers, and it is basically worthless. The tips mushroom as soon as you hit something harder than wood. 1018 is ok for very lightweight spikes (less than 80 grams or so). I think A-36 would behave the same.

I now use W-1 for spikes, which must be tempered heavily. I've bought some of Aldo's 1060 for knives. 5160 sounds like a winner too.

I think you could harden any of these steels to throwing-knife specs without a high-tech set-up.

Admiral and McMaster Carr sell 5160; so does Kelly Couples according to his price list. Seems to be hard-to-find in 3/16" thick. Cold-drawn W-1 is available in square and rectangle shapes (the rectangles are funny sizes).
 
I have an old copy of the Guns Digest Book of Knives from like 1990 or something. It has an article on large knives and such. They featured a knife which was designed specifically for throwing that looked kinda like a large bowie blade. I specifically recall the blade was made from annealed 1095 which the author stated was the "ideal" steel for a throwing knife. You can take that for what it's worth. I'm no expert myself.

Sorry, the steel was actually C-1050 with a Rockwell rating of 44-46 (annealed). I have the book right in front of me. The knife was called the Tru-Balance Bowie-Axe.
 
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Go ahead and try A36.
Heat treat blade in
ROB GUNTHER SUPER QUENCH:
5 LBS ROCK SALT, 32 OZ OR 26 OZ CONC BLUE DAWN dish washer detergent, 8 OZ SHAKLEE BASIC I, 5 GAL H2O. stir solution until mixed well and the salt is completely disolved.
HEAT ,STEEL TO non magnetic (1550 DEGREES). STIR BLADE IN SUPER QUENCH VIGOROUSLY.
Don't try to draw the blade after hardening.
DON'T USE THIS ON HIGH CARBON STEEL OVER 1045.
SeaRobin
 
I would also say 5160 would be great with a low 50RC hardness. It is very tough and i think it would stand up very nicely to throwing
 
For something like this scrap spring steel, and a bucket of trans fluid, tempering it at a min of 425f would be what I would do.
 
SeaRobin said:
Go ahead and try A36.
Heat treat blade in
ROB GUNTHER SUPER QUENCH:
5 LBS ROCK SALT, 32 OZ OR 26 OZ CONC BLUE DAWN dish washer detergent, 8 OZ SHAKLEE BASIC I, 5 GAL H2O. stir solution until mixed well and the salt is completely disolved.
HEAT ,STEEL TO non magnetic (1550 DEGREES). STIR BLADE IN SUPER QUENCH VIGOROUSLY.
Don't try to draw the blade after hardening.
DON'T USE THIS ON HIGH CARBON STEEL OVER 1045.
SeaRobin
Click to expand...


Sure you don't wanna throw any goat blood in there, too? :D
 
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