steel from Home Depot

[Johnny Glades]

Hi all, is the flat steel stock sold in Home Depot good for making blades, or is it too soft? Does it have enough carbon content to enable it to be hardened? The sales help there could not tell me the answer to tese questions.
Thanks in advance.......................Johhny

 

[BRTATCK]

To tell you the truth Johnny, I am not sure. I believe it is a low carbon structural steel. One way to find out though, I think I have a piece of the stuff and I will see if it hardens acceptably and do some tests. I will let you know what I find out.

 

[Sylvester]

No!!

 

[Burchtree]

I believe it's welding steel. I don't know if this is a bad thing or not, but I've used it for making some knife guards.

 

[Matt Shade]

Nope!
Don't think they carry anything but welding grade steel, and that just won't work. I guess a rule of thumb to follow is that if your buying it new and it doesn't have specs on it, it won't work. Pretty much any cutlery/tool steel will at least be marked with the alloy type so you can look it up.
Now if you want to go the forging route and make stuff out of pickemup truck parts and kitchen sinks you have to know your stuff a little better

Check around town for a tool supply store. I have an EDCO close by that carries all sorts of precision ground O1, for pretty good prices too.
Or you can order from www.texasknife.com or www.kovalknives.com or www.jantzsupply.com

 

[Mike Hull]

It's 1018, or another designation, otherwise known as "mild steel". It can't be hardened sufficiently, if at all, to make a knife.

 

[KennyC]

yes, its mild steel. if you can find a source (other than home depot, around here 3' X 1.5 " X .125" costs $7 (CAD), they charge alot.) go to a scrap yard or metal mart, they charge something like $1.00/pound. its crappy and soft but makes for GREAT grinding practice. its also OK for throwing knives as they dont need to be sharp, just somewhat pointy, and is too soft to snap(from impact on target) all my throwing knives are made from this stuff and usually last 1-2 years each. when it finally rusts, (i dont bother finishing or treating them, right off the grinder to the range) i just chuck it(pun intended) and consider it a dollar well spent. have fun

 

[rlinger]

A long time ago, it seems now to me, I thought it a good idea to refurbish a rifle and was too poor and ignorant of what I should properly do to do it correctly. So much work and long hours that extended well beyond the low cost of rifle and parts proved that I ended up with a well made piece of junk.

Go for broke. If you have confidence, and you will, you will better and sooner learn.

Listen to these guys here, as I have about the questions you ask concerning knife making and steels. My advise is to purchase knife steel made for knives or tool steel that is suitable because you will be working very hard to finish something you will not know any definative thing about until it is finished and finally put to the test.

Your question has probably been answered in the previous posts above but my point is: spend as much as it takes to parallel the efforts you put into the product you wish to make.

Roger