What steel to buy and where

B

bmdubb

Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
4
Hello guys,
I am looking to get into making some quality knives for myself, and some family / friends. Lowes has small pieces of steel ( Cold rolled ), stainless, and some other type.. Is this good for making a GOOD knife that will hold an edge?

If not, whats best for a SHARP edge that will hold up to abuse.. Looking to craft hunting / field / combat / survival tools lol
 
Welcome to the forums.

The steel needed to make a knife is different from the steels available at Lowe's and Home Depot. You should get some catalogs from the knife supply companies and order from them or one of the steel suppliers. If ordering a good started steel, Aldo Bruno sells 1084 ( as does Tracy and some others).

Read the stickies at the top of this forum and you will find a lot of good info.

There is nothing wrong with knife blanks and pre-made knife blades. Just be honest and tell people that the work is yours, but the blank is from a supplier.
 
Yeah, that stuff at Lowes is mild steel. It doesn't have the carbon content to harden.

You can get steel from Jantz supply, texas knifemakers supply, and any of the places and people mentioned by Stacy or the other members.

Edit: Oh....and by the way, if you weren't aware, There are alot of great inexpensive carbon steels you can start out with (o-1, 1084 etc) and you can attempt to heat treat them yourself, or have a fellow knifemaker do it. If you're not ready for that, many suppliers sell 440-C or ATS-34, which are fine inexpensive stainless steels that you can send off to be heat treated. Texas knifemakers supply heat treats blades, along with many other companies and members here.
 
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