Sword steel reccomendation

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rob001

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Jun 28, 2007
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Owning a sword is something I've always wanted so now I'm toying with the idea of simply making my own (poor college student and can't exactly afford to simply purchase one). Now my question is, what steel would the experts on the topic here recommend? I've searched around a bit and I see 5160 coming up a lot. I'm looking for something that won't be prone to rust, I live in Florida so that plays into wanting something that won't instantly rust on me.

Always I decided I'd go the slow route and use files vs a grinder. Are there any suggestions as to what kind of files etc? Also how about what vendor is "best" to buy the steel from? And finally are there any dimension suggestions for the steel? Thank you in advance for any help/suggestions.
 
I'm not a maker nor do I play one on T.v. However, it's my understanding that pretty most carbon steels (and there are even guys that can do stainless swords) will do so long as you get the heat treatment right. 5160 has certainly been used by sword makers. Personally I would suggest trying your hand at knives before you start making swords. YMMV.
 
Ah ok, thanks for the information. As far as heat treating I plan on getting a professional to do that. Don't plan to start making these for a living or anything, just wanted to give it a shot and see what happened.
 
Hi Rob - I wanted to make swords when I started out. Got suggested over and over to start with knives and that's what I did. That was late 2004 and I've never made anything longer than about 13-14".

I had a buddy that filed a katana in his garage. It was his first project and he did it in a few months, off and on. Too bad it was just some home depot steel that couldn't be heat treated. If you want to make a sword, you can do the work with files, it'll take some time and you'll probably go through some files, but it's totally possible.

All carbon steels will be prone to rust, 5160 included. No idea what to recommend about steel type or dimensions without knowing the details of your final product.
 
Does anyone recommend a place to get large pieces of 5160 heat treated?

I have looked! :D
 
Ok thanks :), I went ahead and purchased a piece of cpm 154cm from pops knife supply. 3/16" x 2" x 3'

As far as files go, did your friend simply use just regular ones from like home depot or lowes? ie: just run of the mill ones? (as you can tell I don't know much at all about this)
 
Pop is a great guy to deal with. My buddy used various brand files from the local stores. Not the most economical way to go about it since he went through several (don't know all of the details because I wasn't around for the work). If you're going to buy local, I'd see if you can find what you need at Sears and just turn them in for new ones when they stop cutting.
 
The Sears files go dull quickly even on mild steel, yes you can exchange them for new when they do that, but at some point it is worth going with Nicholson or Grobet (I know some people like Simmons files, but the box I have is case hardened as are the ones that the guy on the Mass Spec where I used to work buys uses once and throws out)

-Page
 
Just an option for folks on a budget. When you're a poor college kid trying to make a sword because you can't afford one, your time isn't worth as much as you'd like.
 
I'm no expert here, but make sure you know how much to leave near the edge, prior to heat treatment. I think, from what I've read, that you will do the final edge after it has been heat treated.
You should know this before you file too much, or not enough.
I was just chopping the crap out of some seasoned wood with a 5160 Bolok from Culberson. I am pointing this out because, I wore myself out, not a chip or roll on the edge. I was cutting across the grain, and pounding on it. I can only imagine a sword made from 5160, that has a proper HT would be tough as nails.
Depending on what you are doing with the sword, I wouldn't worry about rust, even if FL. Unless you don't take care of the steel, it won't be a problem. Mineral oil on the blade or Tuff Glide will keep it rust free.
What about a handle? If you are chopping wood, or other "hard" targets, you might want to consider doing a full tang, with some scales. Just my $.02.
 
Thanks for all the information. I never thought about getting craftsman files, might think about that. I'll look up the other brands as well.

When it comes to the edge before heat treatment, any suggestions on how much to leave? Also when it comes to getting ht done, is there any specific method that should be done to cpm 154cm?

Thanks again for all the help, sorry for all the questions lol.
 
Home heat treat isn't going to be an option for you with 154CM, unless you buy an oven. You'll have to send it out, most likely. Popular places are Peters and Paul Bos. TKS might be able to do it, but I think they have a size limit.

I grind air hardening steels to pretty close to final thickness. As long as you don't plan to do a zero edge, a sword will likely be a bit thicker at the edge when it comes time to sharpen anyways.
 
Ok thanks, yeah I'll end up sending it to peters heat treat as of now. Going to be a little bit till I'm at that point though lol.
 
I have followed this thread but not posted. I do have some questions:
Do you have any knife/sword making experience?
What style sword are you going to make?
What use will the sword get? ( wall hanger, iaido, tameshigri cutting practice, chopping on trees?)
Have you researched the fact that CPM154 is probably not a good choice for most sword projects? 1060 or 9260 would be a better steel.
 
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I don't have any experience. I'm still trying to decide on style, as far as use, I'm thinking mainly wall hanger, but I want it to be functional. No tree chopping or anything abusive. I have researched and saw the majority going with 5160.

I'm not sure what to do about the handle when I get to that point, thinking something simple like a cord wrap. Also need more knowledge about what to request with the heat treat.
 
I am not trying to be harsh, but with those answers, I would suggest you make a bunch of knives first, and then try a sword after you gain a lot of skill. One can usually fumble his way through making a knife and get a reasonable product. The same does not normally apply to making a sword.

A comparison of the two might be:
Using a knife to cut out a deep splinter vs using a scalpel to remove a sub-cutaneous cyst.
Both are basically the same....but very different skill levels. Most of us have done the first, but only those who have learned the skills have done the second.
 
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