Testing, just to see if it's something

S

sdb777

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May 20, 2006
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Having a 2x42 belt sander, a few grinders, and more wood, acrylics, micarta, and whatnot sitting in the garage/shop. I was trying to give myself a 'break' from turning pens, duck calls and the such(feel like I'm stuck in a rut doing the same thing all the time)....that said.

Grinding on steel sounds kind of 'different'....but I don't really want to spend a $100 on steel and shipping(that being the hard to swallow part-shipping is crazy), only to find that it is something I do not enjoy and then having 20ft of steel laying in the corner. I've checked at the four local places(by phone), to see if the have any 1084 1/8 x .125 x 12"(figure that's more then enough to grind on to see what is what). Yes, two of these places were 'box stores', and the other two were listed in the phone book as 'steel suppliers'(I guess everyone around here wants pipe).....none had what I was looking for.


So, I'll ask: Where can a fella get a piece as described above, without paying five times as much for shipping as the item is worth?





Scott (got this itch.....) B
 
^^^ NJSB is my first choice when buying steel as well, however www.USAknifemaker.com is nice in that every once in a while when I buy a few random supplies from them, I can easily toss in 12" inch long bar of whatever steel with the rest of my order without having to really pay any extra in shipping. :thumbup:

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
... (It's been quite a while since I've posted any new vids)
 
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I checked there. 1/8 x 1.25 x 48(can't get 12")

Cart Subtotal
$15.60

Shipping and Handling
FedEx Ground Home Delivery: $19.29

Order Total
$34.89
Click to expand...


They don't have just a 12" piece(I don't even need that much to see if it's something I'd like to do to change things up), you have to get 48" piece(s).
Trying to avoid the whole "it-costs-more-to-ship-then-the-price-of-the-item" thing....unfortunately, central Arkansas seems to 'not' be the mecca of steel suppliers for my needs.



Scott (I'm not going to use my files :eek:) B
 
Midwest Knifemaker's Supply, or more commonly known as" USA Knifemaker" @ www.usaknifemaker.com sells steel in 12" long sections. If you order a quantity of "1", that equals 12 inches. If you order a quantity of "2", that equals 2 feet and so on up to 4 feet, or 48". Although, if one wants to get 4- 12" sections instead of a 4 foot long bar, they will do that if you leave a note for them requesting that in the comment area when checking out.

Here ya go: 1084 Steel .140" x 1" (they are out of stock in 1.5" wide and 2" wide and don't have 1.25", a least with this thickness, and .140" thick is basically oversized 1/8" thick in order to leave the maker enough material to get the steel FLAT after profiling etc.) http://www.usaknifemaker.com/knife-...d-other-c-93-41/1084-steel-140-thickness.html

I just checked to see what it would cost to ship that piece of 12" long x .140" thick x 1" wide bar of 1084 to me (I live in the Seattle area) and in their USPS shipping options there was a $4.34 option and a $7.05 shipping option. They provide quite a few options when shipping smaller items in either USPS or Fedex (at least I think that's the other shipper they use).

USA Knifemaker is notorious for being out of stock with a lot of items fwiw. Also, just go back one section in the link I posted above to check out the other "carbon steels" they sell and/or have available, like 1095, 1080, even 15n20 is a great blade steel by itself and is simple to heat treat, and see what other sizes are in stock if you want.

Otherwise, check out Jantz supply @ www.jantzsupply.com ... I'm pretty sure they sell at least 18" long (or "short" rather) sections of steel, maybe 12" as well. If they don't have what you want then check out Knife Kits @ www.knifekits.com or Texas Knife Supply @ www.texasknife.com or Alpha Knife Supply @ www.alphaknifesupply.com etc. etc. If you still don't find what you're looking for at any of these places, then just do a google search for other knife supply sources and browse what they have. If you still can't find what you want after that, then come back and let us know. :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
... (It's been quite a while since I've posted any new vids)
 
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If you just want to test the waters, find a leaf spring, lawnmower blade or an old file. If you get serious about making knives, purchase the good stuff. That said, some top makers still use scrap and seem to get along just fine.
 
A lot of great options for me to explore today.

Reached out to the Fbook group from the State here, and I might be getting some from a local guy! I'll just trade him some scales and such I have made....or maybe lunch and some cha-ching!



Scott (I'll look at those links above) B
 
Look at alpha knife supply too, they've got a 25$ order minimum, but they have all kinds of steel in stock. 1080+ is a good place to start.
 
If you're just wanting a 12" piece to try out I'd be more than happy to give ya a piece. I'm pretty sure I have some 1/8"X1" 1080 in the shop. Send me a pm if you're interested. Should only cost a cpl bucks in shipping.
 
NickBoyle said:
If you're just wanting a 12" piece to try out I'd be more than happy to give ya a piece. I'm pretty sure I have some 1/8"X1" 1080 in the shop. Send me a pm if you're interested. Should only cost a cpl bucks in shipping.
Click to expand...

The Fbook fella came through....he shipped today. I've already got a pretty awesome goodie box for my end of the trade!







Scott (thanks for those links too) B
 
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