VIDEO: How to Forge a Parang from a Lawnmower Blade

That was great! What was the initial length of the mower blade? Working in landscaping for a big company, I could probably have access to a bunch of old 21" mower blades(and maybe a couple other sizes) that are probably just being thrown away. This would be a super fun project I imagine.
 
6shooter said:
That was great! What was the initial length of the mower blade? Working in landscaping for a big company, I could probably have access to a bunch of old 21" mower blades(and maybe a couple other sizes) that are probably just being thrown away. This would be a super fun project I imagine.
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Good source of material to learn with. Mower blades are mostly unknown steels but they have to be strong enough to hold up to abrasion and stress. If you get good at making bladey things out of mower blades from a forge then spend a few bucks and buy some known steel from a supplier. The learning curve sounds like a lot of fun.
 
How did the parang from part I perform for you on your jungle trip?

Did you make the second one due to how it performed or just more blade practice?

Wish I did not live in a condo, without a yard or garage its hard to have man hobbies, good stuff man!
 
Brad "the butcher";10844716 said:
How did the parang from part I perform for you on your jungle trip?

Did you make the second one due to how it performed or just more blade practice?

Wish I did not live in a condo, without a yard or garage its hard to have man hobbies, good stuff man!
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I leave tomorrow for the jungle. I made the second parang because a friend saw the first one and flipped out and begged me for one. I lived in an apartment for many years. It gets better.
 
Instead of fiddle farting around I'm going to have to get a Anvil one of these days.
And a variable speed grinder... and all kinds of stuff...

Man... I need a 2nd job.

But this is Way too cool. Never thought about what steel is used in Machetes and goloks. Some of it is top tier stuff, but I'm pretty sure that most folks using true working knives in 3rd world countries use stuff on the softer side for ease of sharpening.
If you get good reviews on yours I'm going to have to keep a few lawnmower blades specifically for this kind of thing.
 
Pretty neat. Good luck for your jungle trip. To test your steel get a magnet and heat about 4" of the end above non magnetic to your quenching color. And quench. Put it in a vise with a couple of inches sticking out (wear eye protection) and hit with a hammer on the side. If it breaks you probably have acceptable knife steel. If it bends try heating a little hotter, quenching again, and seeing if it breaks. If it still doesn't break, try quenching in water. If your quench results in a blade that breaks cleanly or shatters you might want to temper at 500 degrees F.
 
Lawnmower blades are made to be safe and stay together when impacting rocks, concrete, and other debris.


Not a bad thing for a big chopper, but don't expect much edge retention.



As others have clearly stated, Mystery steel only leads to more mystery as you forge and HT it.


What temperature did you bring it to in HT?




So it's only a test blade, then test with it.



I would only carry a tool I had thoroughly tested on any kind of jungle trip.




Obviously, YMMV.




Big Mike
 
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What is the riddle of lawn mower steel?

That video was one of the best how-to vids I have watched on you tube (and I have watched a lot). Thoughtful editing & music selection (LOTR too!) were top notch - Crom approves. Really got me in the mood to start bending some metal!

I enjoyed it very much ... thanks for posting!
 
darthstrevel said:
What is the riddle of lawn mower steel?

That video was one of the best how-to vids I have watched on you tube (and I have watched a lot). Thoughtful editing & music selection (LOTR too!) were top notch - Crom approves. Really got me in the mood to start bending some metal!

I enjoyed it very much ... thanks for posting!
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Agreed it's a great Video, and the knife turned out very nicely.



Riddle me this Bat Man!


What's the Riddle? Not knowing what type of steel it's made of.

And thus, not knowing how to properly HT and Temper.

That's a Riddle even Bat Man would have trouble with.





Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
Agreed it's a great Video, and the knife turned out very nicely.



Riddle me this Bat Man!


What's the Riddle? Not knowing what type of steel it's made of.

And thus, not knowing how to properly HT and Temper.

That's a Riddle even Bat Man would have trouble with.





Big Mike
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You obviously missed my feeble attempt at "Conan the Barbarian" themed humor ... ;)

I am well aware of the steel snobbery here on BF ... Heaven forbid someone make a blade out of a steel with unknown properties and post a vid of iton a "survival gear" sub forum ... I think it is a great exercise in using what you have in a pinch.`Lawn mower blades do actually cut...
 
darthstrevel said:
I am well aware of the steel snobbery here on BF ... Heaven forbid someone make a blade out of a steel with unknown properties and post a vid of iton a "survival gear" sub forum ... I think it is a great exercise in using what you have in a pinch.`Lawn mower blades do actually cut...
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And here's wear you miss the point my friend.

The knife making Video, and the end result was fantastic.


The Bottom line is the finished tool is an unknown commodity.


For a few Dollars, and little study, a known steel could have been used, the HT and temper optimized, the maker could even dial in the hardness he was after.


Unknown Steel?

Some steel can't be hardened worth a damn, but I suspect a LM blade will harden to a point.

A low carbon steel might make a tough chopper, but lack edge retention.

A higher carbon steel might work better, but left too hard it could be brittle.


I give the maker a thumbs-up for taking up the challenge,

...but spending that much time and effort on an unknown steel when $10 spent on a piece of 1095 would have stacked the odds on creating a real hard working tool just makes sense to me.


That said, I made a few blades from unknown steels before I knew better.


Now, when I make a knife, I have a very high chance of making a knife that holds up in real world use.





Big Mike
 
From a survivalist standpoint - how much time and resources do I need to spend working this blade? By quickly identifying whether the blade will hard quench or not allows the smith to cut out steps. If the end of the lawn mower blade bends after a test quench, then there is no need to temper after making the knife blade. You will have a soft but servicable blade. It will be tough.
If the end of the lawn mower blade breaks after a test quench then you need to temper the blade. For the intended purpose of the blade in the video (a chopper) 500 to 550 degrees F is a better temperature. I believe John Deere LM blades are 5160 and (feel free to correct me if I make a mistake) if you hit the quench with 5160 a 400 degree temper will result in a hard but somewhat brittle blade for a chopper.
Anyway, I liked the video. If I ever start forging steel I have several pieces of mystery steel I will try.
 
As mentioned above, the weak point of the entire project is starting with a mystery steel. I got really lucky. It performed very well in the jungle. It held an edge pretty well despite being used as a machete. No edge rolling or chips.
 
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