used and new lawn mower blades

M

markv

Joined
Sep 8, 2004
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i know this has probably been asked before but here goes,:confused:

any you guys ever cut out or grind a blade from used lawn mower blades???
i have been collecting a few and i'm getting ready to go to work on some.

i will use a 4-1/2 " angle grinder to get the blank out and then conventional sanding\/grinding to shape.

i have heard several guys say that some of this steel is first rate high carbon???

thanks for any advice on this one.
buzz
 
I've read that you can use mower blades, but some work and most don't - they just don't get hard enough. However - I made a couple of big utility knives when I first started making knives about 4 1/2 years ago, using large mower blades. I hardened them in a brine quench, and they are still in use at my folks place. My dad uses them all the time for heavy chopping, clearing brush, etc... and he swears that he has no problem with them not holding an edge. I'd suggest that if you're going to use mower blades, quench them in a brine solution like Superquench, or quench in just plain old water. If you're looking for a different source of "salvage steel", I'd suggest using a piece of an older (1960's or earlier) leaf spring instead, and quenching it in oil. Bear in mind that using salvage steel can be tricky, because it's basically an "unknown quantity". With that in mind, the most important thing is to enjoy making that knife!:D
 
I would think old push mower blades would be a better bet, my grandparents still have one and when I looked at it I noticed that the edge has actually chipped rather than just smooshed down when it hit things. This to me suggests enough carbon to get plenty hard.
 
i am marking out some cuts. i really don't expect this stuff to be superior but
love to find ways to salvage something already manufactured into something else completely different. :thumbup:
buzz
 
Leaf spring is a much better bet for salvage material. No sense in wasting time on junk steel when you could actually put that time into making something you can use.
Just my .02
Matt Doyle
 
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