Throwing knife steel recommendation

H

Heli00

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Oct 19, 2017
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Hi,

I would like to get your opinion on what steel should I use for throwing knives and also at what HRC hardness.

I would think a spring steel would be an appropriate choice, possibly 5160.

What other spring steels are there that you would recommend?

I’m looking for something reasonably priced as well, but it needs to do the job well.

Thanks in advance,
Constantin
 
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Get some 6150 from the 6150 guy. If you google "blade 6150", his sight will pop up. Good prices and the stuff is ready to file or grind. I ordered some a while back and it is nice material for tough stuff. Heat treat like 5160 and temper at 400f for mid to low 50's RC. 5160 would be a good choice also but most of it is normalized and not as easy to work with. 1055 can sometimes be had locally as cutting edge steel for plow blades but it also is normalized and not as easy to work and it is generally 3/8" minimum thickness so would need to be forged down.
 
5160@57HRC would be a very good choice. Quenched to almost target hardness with low temp temper to avoid as much as possible secondary carbides.
Avoid super tough steels as they buckle easily and you would need a file to regularly file of sharp dents (they cut skin effortlessly).
I use 420HC. Cheap, stainless and can take a punch. Tough just right. 58HRC seems good. Lower is tough but soft, dents and bend easier. Tried 60HRC and those are still good. Takes abuse like a champ. 420 is too soft.
Avoid anything with higher than minimal carbides. HT to the sweet spot of the steel (strength/toughness) and it will endure a lot.
Simple carbon steels up to 1055 are good, min 55HRC. Lower than 1045 are too soft.
So, why 57-58HRC? Softer needs less force to bend. Straightening will chop of a lot of strength. Super tough is not your friend. Harder steel is stronger and can flex more without going plastic. Carbides will kill all bending strength. Stronger steel can endure way more and you can worry less when hitting concrete, stone or a tank. Knives don't have enough mass to break as the force turns into vibrations. Vibrations are the enemy. Strong steel can take a lot of abusive vibrations. Soft has a short life.
Bonus: avoid at all costs holes and sharp edges anywhere on the knife. Those are stress risers. When it starts cracking it'll go all the way. Don't etch your mark. Just mark it. Design it without narrowing in the center. The center has to be the strongest. Ununiform design kills vibrations while uniform can accelerate vibrations.
My design
1721161396494.png
 
Great info, could you perhaps point me as to where I could buy the specific steels in the US?

Thanks again,
 
New Jersey Steel Barron
Alpha Knife Supply
Online Metals
etc.

No one mentioned Sup-9, which makes an excellent high impact thrower.

5155 (Sup-9)
1055
5160
9260
4140 and its cousins
and so many more.
8670 would be good for throwers where you want a slightly higher hardness.
 
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wrt throwing knives, I don't think it really matters all that much. That said, when the time comes to make another throwing knife or two, I'ma opt for AEB-L- cheap, stainless and I like working with it.
 
Lorien said:
wrt throwing knives, I don't think it really matters all that much. That said, when the time comes to make another throwing knife or two, I'ma opt for AEB-L- cheap, stainless and I like working with it.
Click to expand...
I was wondering about AEB-L, what hardness would you go ?
 
59-60 range gives good toughness values according to Knifesteelnerds
 
JoeBusic said:
5160@57HRC would be a very good choice. Quenched to almost target hardness with low temp temper to avoid as much as possible secondary carbides.
Avoid super tough steels as they buckle easily and you would need a file to regularly file of sharp dents (they cut skin effortlessly).
I use 420HC. Cheap, stainless and can take a punch. Tough just right. 58HRC seems good. Lower is tough but soft, dents and bend easier. Tried 60HRC and those are still good. Takes abuse like a champ. 420 is too soft.
Avoid anything with higher than minimal carbides. HT to the sweet spot of the steel (strength/toughness) and it will endure a lot.
Simple carbon steels up to 1055 are good, min 55HRC. Lower than 1045 are too soft.
So, why 57-58HRC? Softer needs less force to bend. Straightening will chop of a lot of strength. Super tough is not your friend. Harder steel is stronger and can flex more without going plastic. Carbides will kill all bending strength. Stronger steel can endure way more and you can worry less when hitting concrete, stone or a tank. Knives don't have enough mass to break as the force turns into vibrations. Vibrations are the enemy. Strong steel can take a lot of abusive vibrations. Soft has a short life.
Bonus: avoid at all costs holes and sharp edges anywhere on the knife. Those are stress risers. When it starts cracking it'll go all the way. Don't etch your mark. Just mark it. Design it without narrowing in the center. The center has to be the strongest. Ununiform design kills vibrations while uniform can accelerate vibrations.
My design
View attachment 2614729
Click to expand...
Do throwing knives need that much bevel?

I agree that 420hc should be a good steel for this purpose. Cheap, fine grain and tough.

What thickness do you all use?
 
I made this pair of knives a couple years back from 8mm thick A2. I think they were around 10". Heavy knives for sure, but manageable.
Ytc5WJU.jpg

Been thinking on making myself another pair one of these days.
 
I don't have anything to add about what steel to use, but check out Adam Celadin's YouTube channel for ideas about throwing knife design. He's a competitive knife thrower, possibly a world champ. He's a bit hard to understand sometimes, but a darn good knife thrower.
 
A throwing knife made for fun can be made from pretty much anything.
Some guys just throw sharpened 80 or 90 penny nails. Cheap steel that won't really harden is also fine. No edge is needed, just a point.
Rebar or a railroad spike can be forged into a thrower and the tip HTed to Rc45-50 and make a perfectly good fun thrower.
 
BRBQ and knife throwing is always a fun weekend. :)
 
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