What is the best metal for a knife?

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

........ Do a search for "The Count's information for beginners" it has a list of about 200 things you really need to read.
-Page

The Count already gave it to him in post #45.


mkwarren ( Mark Warren?) would really do himself a favor if he filled out his profile.

 

[mkwarren]

Mike. Not mark.

And i plan on reading. Never said i wasnt. I own a business. That comes first.

 

[Willie71]

You are just sounding silly now. If you took the time to read instead of posting 21 times in the last 24h, you would have not wasted so much time. As said before fill out your profile. If you are employed, you can't afford $10.00 for a piece of 1084? I just ordered 28' of 15n20 for under $100.00.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Ok guys, lets all just back off and let Mike get started. He has the info and advice. I am sure he will post more questions, and show some photos as he gets going on the actual build.



Mike, I think you will be fine if you just take your time and start simple.
As has been suggested, filling out your profile will tell us some info about you that will help shape our answers. Knowing that you are a high school student with a job at Burger King, or a 35 year old engineer in a factory makes a difference. Also, knowing the area where you live, city/state or country, may allow a nearby experienced maker to offer you some help and materials. Filling out your profile should be something a new member does before the first post, but it is becoming much ignored. Lastly, filling out your profile makes you more of a "member of the group". We tend to feel a bit more like we know you.

So, make some drawings, list the materials you finally decide to get, and plans on how you will make the knife.....and get started. When you are ready for that, start a new thread on the knife build.

 

[mkwarren]

woo hoo got my wood and rivets today. the wood is a little wedge shaped >. but itl be ok

 

[spyderco lover]

I'm honestly just here to watch this backfire. Not to sound like a jerk, but i tried making a fixed blade out of a slab of AUS 8 using only a file and a hand sander and I royally jacked it up. There's no possible way you're going to be able to shape a knife in M4 using a hacksaw and a file.

 

[mkwarren]

I dont see why not. Its noT like im shaping it after hardening

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The carbides in M4 are there annealed or hardened. It can be made less hard, but that is far from soft. This is tough on hand tools and needs good grinders with CZ or ceramic belts. Cutting tools need to be carbide or bi-metal. Sanding can be a bear.
AND, you will still have to do considerable work after hardening.

 

[mkwarren]

The after hardening will be tough. Esspicially if i do a scandy grind. But it seems easy to work with now.

 

[Andy Lewis]

Man it's been getting cold in here ...

Some of you fellas are free to say piss on me too but obviously this is a guy that is accustomed to learning by his own failures and successes; not by reading the standard admonitions and good advise offered so far. (Considering that, I wonder myself why he reached out here, but so be it; the job is done for now IMHO.)

He will have a go at it and the chips will fall as they always do. Too often lately it seems we can take ourselves a bit too seriously and forget that makers - new and old - are the very reason for this forum.

I'll take old-fashioned goodwill and common courtesy over another "perfect" first handmade knife any day of the week.

Good luck Mike! Enough enthusiasm will eventually conquer inexperience. It may not seem so, but most of these folks are simply trying to help you shorten that curve. Looking forward to your progress. When you crash headfirst into the inevitable snag, we'll still be here.

 

[oic0]

I dont see why not. Its noT like im shaping it after hardening

First time I played with a high alloy steel after using only 1084 and 1095, I thought my belt was ruined or something. Put a piece of 1084 back on and cut like butter. First time I tried to hand sand a high alloy at 62+ HRC... I ordered a scotch brite belt and called it a day. I'm not just not patient enough.

Also, draw filing simple steels with a good sharp file goes fast enough you get a good motivating sense of progress.

On more thing to add. When using the bench grinder be careful of work hardening. First knife I did, I did everything with an angle grinder which got some parts hot and consequently harder. When it came time to sand there were a lot of hard spots that made life difficult.

 

[i4Marc]

http://www.hark.com/clips/mhkvzcqrvh-what-weve-got-here-is-dot-dot-dot-failure-to-communicate

 

[Frank Niro]

What a waste of time this for you and the members here trying to help. With what you believe you will be able to do you will be getting nothing done that will make for a reasonably good knife of any sort. You are a pain in that experienced people tell you answers and you still carry on as if you knew the answers given.
Here's what I suggest in order to regain some respect and show some for the members trying to help. Shut down your questions and start the actual making of the knife. Cut the outline and grind the bevels with the tools you will work so well, and then show the results. In other words, you sure have a lot of verbal diahrea being put into threads here. You are into an over flow situation. Frank

 

[Jens Schuetz]

Thanks mkwarren for taking the FLAK.
This way I don't have too.

I'm also in the process of making my first knife and learned a lot from reading here.
Thanks everybody

Maybe I will still get some flak when I aks now why nobody suggested O1 tool steel yet?

 

[NickWheeler]

Maybe I will still get some flak when I aks now why nobody suggested O1 tool steel yet?

I see mkwarren (Mike) has been banned.... I think he is Tai's stock removal alter ego.

Jens- O1 is an excellent steel, but has faded into under-rated territory over the years, IMHO. We still see a fair amount of knives made from it (I use it a lot! ) but it has unfortunately been dubbed a "beginner steel" with many people. I think that's because it almost always comes precision ground and speroidally annealed (clean and butter soft! ).

But you need accurate temperature controls and quality quench oil to make the most of O1... which is why I only recommend it to new makers if they are going to get the steel heat treated by someone with the proper tools. As Kevin Cashen has said many times, if you are going to heat treat it by eye, you'd be better off with an even simpler steel.

 

[Jens Schuetz]

I see mkwarren (Mike) has been banned.... I think he is Tai's stock removal alter ego.

Jens- O1 is an excellent steel, but has faded into under-rated territory over the years, IMHO. We still see a fair amount of knives made from it (I use it a lot! ) but it has unfortunately been dubbed a "beginner steel" with many people. I think that's because it almost always comes precision ground and speroidally annealed (clean and butter soft! ).

But you need accurate temperature controls and quality quench oil to make the most of O1... which is why I only recommend it to new makers if they are going to get the steel heat treated by someone with the proper tools. As Kevin Cashen has said many times, if you are going to heat treat it by eye, you'd be better off with an even simpler steel.

Thank you for your help.

Oh now I can see it too. He is banned. Wow. At least in this thread here I don't see why.

At first I was thinking of heat treating it myself. The magnet method seemed simple enough, but the more I read I realized its actually not necessarily the best approach On the other hand I don't need it to be 100% perfect 95% should be good enough and I might learn a thing or two while doing it myself. I am still open to getting it done somewhere else (still have to research places and prices). For now I want to focus on stock removal. I really hope O1 is buttersoft beginners steel. Also I don't mind if it takes a year. Its my first one and there's no hurry. I will buy some equipment (belt sander, powered hacksaw etc) on the way. Researching which one to get and learning how to use it will all take time and then there is job and family. Maybe a year is too optimistic

Thanks again.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Thanks mkwarren for taking the FLAK.
This way I don't have too.

I'm also in the process of making my first knife and learned a lot from reading here.
Thanks everybody

Maybe I will still get some flak when I aks now why nobody suggested O1 tool steel yet?

Jens,
Feel free to start your own question thread if you like. I will gladly help you if I can?

MK's problem was he wouldn't even fill out his profile and keep asking the same questions then doing what he thought best anyway. He received flak because he was rude to a few makers that where trying to help him and wouldn't listen to anybody except himself.

I find it hard to believe that he was 30 with a wife and kids?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I agree that he did not add up. He got belligerent and threatened some of the mods....he was gone in a flash after that.
This thread should have been closed and moved with the other. I am closing it now.