sword from stainless

M

M Wadel

Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
801
if you were to make a 3ft sword and it had to be stainless and also meant to be used what steel would you choose and at what hardness. i was thinking ats 34 will that be too brittle for a sword, or do i have to go to expensive powdersteels? whats your take
 
If it really has to be from stainless, then make it out of something that will take a really nice finish (not S30V), because all you'll want to do with it is hang it over your mantel.
 
Troll Bait From Hell said:
If it really has to be from stainless, then make it out of something that will take a really nice finish (not S30V), because all you'll want to do with it is hang it over your mantel.
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I agree. Funny this topic came up. I just started making another sword out of aluminum. I made my son a Roman Gladius last year and he loves it. This time I'm making a viking sword. They only make for play/display pieces because they tend to bend.:)
 
mantel? try keeping it to the topic. its not going to be hung anywhere its going to chop up things like wood and i dont want it to break. anyway you dont seem to have the required knowledge about steel so move on. doesnt have to be shiny but it have to be strong. ive only seen swords made from carbon steel yet so thats why i want to make one from stainless, and i think it will work just as good. so if anyone actually has a good idea about the steel just chip in
 
Umm, no, it wont work as well. Stainless steels dont have the same strength as carbon steels. On a folder this is not big deal. On a sword or large fixed blade, it is a big deal. Go carbon or go home.
 
M Wadel said:
...it have to be strong.
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Any of the high carbon stainess steels are very strong, they are just not very flexible or tough. Why are you making a sword to chop up wood anyway, make a parang/bolo/golok or axe, and choose a decent tool steel like L6.

-Cliff
 
M Wadel said:
mantel? try keeping it to the topic. its not going to be hung anywhere its going to chop up things like wood and i dont want it to break. anyway you dont seem to have the required knowledge about steel so move on. doesnt have to be shiny but it have to be strong. ive only seen swords made from carbon steel yet so thats why i want to make one from stainless, and i think it will work just as good. so if anyone actually has a good idea about the steel just chip in
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M Wadel,

I certainly didn't mean to offend you with my comment about the mantel. If you want to have a sword made from stainless steel so that you can chop wood, then knock yourself out.

Infi isn't stainless, but it'll be about as close as you can come. The Busse AK-47s are shipping now, so you might try to pick one up on the secondary market, or take your chance on getting one from Skunk at the Company Store when his shipment comes in.

There may be a reason that the only swords that you've seen are made from carbon steel.
 
M Wadel said:
mantel? try keeping it to the topic. its not going to be hung anywhere its going to chop up things like wood and i dont want it to break. anyway you dont seem to have the required knowledge about steel so move on. doesnt have to be shiny but it have to be strong. ive only seen swords made from carbon steel yet so thats why i want to make one from stainless, and i think it will work just as good. so if anyone actually has a good idea about the steel just chip in
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You can make a sword out of any stainless steel. The question will be how funtional is it? I'm sure you could draw down the hardness and temper it to allow for better toughness but I can't see ANY stainless matching a carbon blade for flexibility and toughness. Swords and knives are different critters. A three foot long blade goes though a whole different set of stresses than a six inch blade. No brittle steel need apply fo the job - think more along the lines of a sharpened spring. Cliff and Dr.Thor have it right.
 
Ask wally hayes, he's one of the leading sword forgers of our time..
 
Yeah, there is a reason why these functional swords are made of carbon steel.
I think that Rob Criswell made some katana from 440C, but I'm not sure. Still, they were not designed with hard use in mind. Otherwise I doubt he would use a hollow grind.

If you insist on making a sword from stainless, then knock your self out. Just don't get to dissapointed if it chips, bends, or snaps.

As an aside, you may want to refrain from lashing out at other members just because you don't get the sort of lip service you like.

Have fun.
-KC

Out of curiosity, why do you think stainless will be just as good?
 
Stainless for a sword is not a good idea. I had one some years ago, and the thing shattered on a rotten 2x4. It broke into 3 pieces, the most noticable one heading for my midsection. The short piece went straight up, and the 3rd piece stayed in the handle, thankfully. Stainless steel swords are for looking and some light work, like cutting bushes and cornstalks after picking is done. Anything more difficult and you're asking for trouble, based on my experience of course.
 
The most promising SS's for sword making are the so called maraging steels (not steels in the usual meaning) some grades of which are used for making sport fencing blades. They are strong, tough and just hard enough to possibly make good blades. Practically stainless in comparison to carbon steels. Not really hard enough for knife use.

TLM
 
i had a feeling it wouldnt work and with the prices of steel and all the time it would take i had to ask. it wouldnt be much fun having the sword shatter first time you use it. so its toughness thats missing in stainless :( . how much tougher really are carbon vs stainless, i mean if you compare them to new exotic supersteels (not that i could afford that but hypoteticly). anyway didnt mean to sound like a jerk.

so what carbon steels could be worth looking into? i assume theyre all springsteels of some kind
 
M Wadel said:
anyway didnt mean to sound like a jerk.
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No problem. Everything's fine now.

I know that this isn't exactly a sword, but if you get a Becker Patrol Machete, then you can probably whack quite a bit of stuff with it, and it won't set you back too much. Becker makes some pretty good stuff.

There have been reports of them breaking, but others have reported using them hard with no problems. They do have a good warranty, however.
 
It depends on the temper. I wouldn't use anything under 1050. 5160 is a great choice, and you could probably do very well with 1095.
If you are going to use this for hard work, like chopping wood, I would say L6 is your best bet.

What kind of sword are you thinking about? The shape will have a big hand in deciding the optimal steel.
 
i havent decieded yet on what type of sword, a japanese styled sword would be nice but im not the least bit sure how to bend the rod/bar without risking breaking it. so i guess something realatively straight. i will cut the shape with waterjet so i can probably do some pretty wild design depending on what size bars and rods come in for the various steels, or if they come in sheets plates.

the sword would just be a fun project for me to do at weekends and it would be nice to actually be able to chop up some wood or whatever i can find for free/cheep

yeah by the way will the edge-sharpness be compareble with usual knifesteels when using springsteel, is this a minor issue or
 
One of the most famous video clips around is a guy demonstrating how tough his stainless sword is, and it breaks and stabs him in the abdomen. Here is a link to a thread and the thread has a link to the video. It should quench your desire to have a stainless steel sword. You want to use something like 5160 (used to make automobile suspension springs) or L6 (used to make saw mill blades) or simple 1050 carbon steel.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319586
 
You can make you sword shaving sharp, but don't expect the edge to hold as long as a knife's will. If you are going to make a Japanese sword, you get the bend primarily from the heat treat. Coat the back in clay, sword arcs in the quench. I wouldn't recomend this sort of endeavor unless you're pretty damn serious about doing this. It's one of the more difficult projects you could take on.
Check out some Burmese Dahs, if you really plan on useing this. They are similar to a katana's shape, but far more simple.
 
hahaha just watched that video, wow that really had to hurt. is that what happens to all stainless swords more or less, or was that extreme?
 
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