What kind of bar stock for a beginner?

Having never used anything but O-1, I have to recommend it! Well.. it was recommended to me as well, but I loved working with it. Even with my limited tools, it ground, drilled and filed with ease. My future knives this summer will 95% be O-1. I want to get really good with one steel before I move on to others.

As for a filing jig... I don't think it's cheating to start off that way. If you make one to set angles and start some grinds, you will be encouraged when you see your work turning out even. I think if you just jump into it and freehand file, you may get some unfortunate results... and MOST people are discouraged by failure/mistakes early on into anything new they delve into. It is really up to you. I used a jig for my first 2, and loved the results. I think it was a good way to learn about how bevel geometry works without just quickly ruining some steel with a grinder.
 
Well, before I bought any "good" steel to work with I thought I would practice first. I came across a HB file that I bought a few years ago and annealed with plans to make it a knife. I asked here and was told that the HB files are really junk steel, a harder steel on the outside with a softer one in the middle. So by the time you cut, shape, and grind on one you would be down to the cheap stuff that will never harden like it should. I figured that since I already annealed this file, it would be a good piece to practice on. Here is my question though- Is there any kind of telltale sign that says this is bad metal? I've already burned up a few quality hacksaw blades and it has taken me hours and hours to cut out and shape this sucker. I admit that I don't have a lot of experience with different kinds of metal but I can't help but question whether or not this is what I was told. What do you think? Should I just set it away when I finish it? Would it be worth attempting to harden?
 
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