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What is the best metal for a knife?

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i4Marc said:
Understand that nobody here is trying to shoot you down.
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I never got this impression. it is sound advice.

i4Marc said:
We all started someplace and we know of what we speak, um, most of us anyway ha ha. To think that a knife is just a sharp piece of metal is grossly misunderstanding the venture. It is among the most simple and basic of tools but the making of one is vastly more complex and hard to do than most beginners think. As many have already stated, there are so many parameters and variables to consider when designing and building a knife. We want you to have the same excitement for the craft that we have. One of the quickest ways to lose it though is to start way over your head. 1084 is not just a baby steps steel. It is a very popular and super performing steel. The reason it is regularly recommended to beginners is because it is commonly available and hard to ruin the heat treat with even basic set-ups. We want you to succeed and to be proud of what you make. Start with some of the steels that have been suggested to you and spend lots of time reading and re-reading the stickies. Get a good understanding of the process and start to acquire the tools and materials you will need to do a good job. Don't rush to bang something out. Do the very best you can at every stage. Look through the threads. People post very nice knives as first or second attempts but they take time and care and they heed the advice of more experienced members here. Do not even think about selling a knife at this point. Your time is best spent educating yourself and practice, practice, practice! Don't forget to ask any questions you have about designs.
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Starting with a very hard metal, using improper tools. i'm pretty much expecting it to not turn out to be the best.

Is there a good resource for blade designs i can print out and trace to the metal?
 
Jastab said:
Good luck getting a piece of zdp, from my understanding it can't be exported in raw form, only finished products...
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I guess its the companies choice not to export it. a good decision for them. although why doesnt an american manufacturer do something similar to it?
 
mkwarren said:
I guess its the companies choice not to export it. a good decision for them. although why doesnt an american manufacturer do something similar to it?
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3C20CrMoW
MC66

These are a couple of aliases for ZDP 189. Try doing a search for them.
 
Best metal for a knife? Steel, high carbon, in a variety that will allow you to turn it into a serviceable knife using the tools and means that you have access to.
 
Bench grinder. Ah, you sound like me a few years ago...

PLEASE get yourself a small piece of something cheap to play with first. You're going to figure out really quickly how inadequate a bench grinder is for the purpose you want to put it to. I occasionally still use mine for rough profiling curves, but yeah, you just can't get a good primary bevel grind with a bench grinder. Your best bet, if you're not going to get a decent belt grinder of some sort, is to use the grinder to remove stock to a point, and then clean up with files and sandpaper. I honestly think you will regret using that M4 now. I know you bought it already, and the temptation is to use it, but that steel isn't going to go anywhere, and you'll still be able to use it, if you pick up some 1084, and figure out your methods first. I can tell you from personal experience that it's a painful experience ruining a piece of expensive steel, and it's entirely possible you could ruin it and get nothing useable out of it. Take things slow, and pay attention to details, and it will be a MUCH more rewarding experience.
 
there is a round thing on the top of my bench grinder thats made for sharpening chisels and such
 
Wow, your enthusiasm is great. We all started out to make our "dream knife" the first time we tried. However, we all made lots of mistakes. You, for some reason, seem intent on making all of the mistakes all over again. SLOW DOWN. The great thing about this forum, and the knife making community in general is the willingness of all of us to share with each other. That includes successes and failures.... People are trying to give you a lot of good advice, you can take it or leave it. They are just trying to help. Knife making is not easy and many would be makers quit because they bite off too much too soon. But don't do that. Give it your best shot and then you will have a good basis for asking questions and understanding what and why you are being told what you are being told. We will all still be here to help.
 
You mentioned lawnmower blade. For one reason only, I would recommend doing that, make a knife from a lawnmower blade, for the sole reason, well actually two reasons; you won't wreck good blade steel and practice, you will still gain valuable experience making a 'knife shaped object' which maybe, if you're lucky, you'll make some sort of chopper with a 25 degree or so edge may hold an edge long enough to hack through some 2x4's. I wonder if my first post here with my first knife / glorified jailhouse shank is still around....
 
Also, the HSS power hacksaw blades I linked to earlier do make decent knives. I put an edge on one of the 18" ones and used it to cut slices off of a double thick cardboard water heater box the full width across one side and it cut until I was tired of cutting, using only a roughly 2" section of the blade.
 
mkwarren said:
will this one suffice?

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-x-30-inch-belt-sander-2485.html
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If you're going to try to make knives for profit save up for something like this-
http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=13

If you want something cheaper to learn on you can go the route I did and get this-
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921513000P?mv=rr&clicked=true

Just know the craftsman really does run way to fast and is underpowered and is hard to do anything fine with.
 
This may be a humbling project especially with a bench grinder.
Since you don't have any experience let me preach safety safety safety ...
A 3600rpm bench grinder and a sharp piece of metal can send you to the ER in a flash.

Get a set of wrap around safety glasses. Going to the Eye surgeon to have a rust ring scraped off your cornea sucks ..
I spent my 36th birthday a two different doctors for this.

There are some really talented guys here who are quite frankly being really nice to you so listen to them.
If your goal is to make a crude cutting blade use what ever but if you want it to look decent use a steel that's not so difficult to machine.. 1084>cpm-m4
 
You asked what the best steel is? The simplest answer is the one you have the tools and skills to work with. Since you will soon find files and sandpaper are better than a bench grinder, stick with something that works easily by hand. You have been given good advice here. Saying "I will probably screw it up" doesn't make sense. Aim to be successful. Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer.
 
Willie71 said:
You asked what the best steel is? The simplest answer is the one you have the tools and skills to work with. Since you will soon find files and sandpaper are better than a bench grinder, stick with something that works easily by hand. You have been given good advice here. Saying "I will probably screw it up" doesn't make sense. Aim to be successful. Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer.
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I did not reject the answer. i just do not have more money to spend. ill do what i can with the bench grinder, then finish it off with a file. just cant afford to spend more money till i see how winter is going to turn out.
 
At the risk of flogging a dead horse, you're putting the cart way, WAY before the horse. Save that pricy super steel for when you've learned some horse-sense. Read the links already provided. I'm not just horsing around here.

On the other hand, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
 
The first grinder i purchased and still have in my shop arsenal was a 2 x 72 Coote.
www.cootebeltgrinder.com A used motor, two step pulleys and some link belt.

I do second Mc556 on the safety! get good eye protection and a respirator. I also wear a heavy leather apron that hangs down past my knees to protect the family jewels and major arteries in my legs etc.. even dull steel at high velocity can really ruin your day!
 
Dude, Stacy is giving you the best advice you have apparently decided to ignore. Do a search for "The Count's information for beginners" it has a list of about 200 things you really need to read. I will be blunt ( just like your result trying to make a blade from M4 on a bench grinder will be) you have no knowledge of knife making, you have no experience with super steels, and you don't have the tools to work with them. If you want to make a good knife buy some 1084, some 1075, or some 1080 and read all of the stickies, then ask some INFORMED questions. Right now you sound like a 12 year old who thinks they know everything about sex because they read 1 Penthouse Forum column. Do yourself a favor and do some reading starting with all of the pinned stickies in the useful information section

-Page
 
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