Where to get ATS 34?

jaegar

jaegar

Joined
Nov 5, 2004
Messages
280
HI,
I'm looking for a peice of ATS 34 steel or AUS 8 or 6 that is 3/16" x 2" x 24"
I found 1/4" at Texas knifemakers supply, but that is really thick, and they wanted $22 a foot. Is this the best bargin I will find, or do yall know of somewhere else? A friend wants to make a bowie style knife with it, so he needed it pretty wide. Will ATS work for a bowie (10" blade) or should I pick something else?
Thanks for the help.
 
sry i forgot to tell u what to use instead, but just about anything is better than stainless :) i would go with 1095,5160, or one of those w1, w2, or o1 steels i couldnt really tell ya about them but i think ive heard a few guys talk about them making good blades. id prolly make it out of 1095, or 5160 which are quite cheap. id also temper this stuff to a wood working tool temp, which i belive is 430 degrees. then heat the back of the knife blue with a torch. but dont let the blue reach the edge! ever since i discovered this method ive always used it. take a wet rag and set it in the vice jaws and the put ur blades edge in the rag and tighten the vice. then u heat a small section of the blade mune, or back. when this is blue, work ur way along the blade. this produces an incredibly strong blade that will last longer than a mono-tempered blade.
 
I'll go with what elevenbladesmith says. Admiral. Ask for Terry Summers and leave a message if he is currently not available. He will call you back. Good fellow to deal with and does not treat us a little buyers. Regardless of source be prepared to pay a premium for stainless steels.

RL
 
Admiral has it,but like the previous two posts,a bowie in stainless is like a flintlock in sterling silver,Pretty,but also pretty useless.I'd use 5160 or 1095.O-1 is a bit brittle for a big knife without a good bit of experience in HTing it.5160 is very forgiving,and tough.Forge the guard from the same steel as the blade and file work it,too.You will be proud of the results.
 
elvenbladesmith07 said:
for a proper knife you should never use stainless! if u own stainless knives it most likely because its gunna hang on a wall, or ur to lazy to oil it once in a while :)
Click to expand...

I think you'd get a bit of argument here from people with a whole lot more experience were they inclined to go through it again, ad nauseum. You insult a lot of accomplished makers with that statement. :barf:

Earlier this year, Knifeworld published an article by a chap who tested a bunch of blades for cutting, some by well known bladesmiths. Surprisingly, a D2 blade was considered best, a Bowie. One test, one opinion, but it suggests there's no perfect answer to the "what steel" debate. One thing IS certain, without proper heat treat for the intended application, any steel will suck.

Jaegar, check Sheffield Knifemakers Supply if Admiral can't help. They list 3/16 x 2" ATS34 in smaller lengths. It ain't cheap.
 
Thanks for the help. I Don't really have a set-up to heat treat my own blades. :grumpy: I was kinda thinking about sending it off to Texas Knifemakers Supply, but after what yall said, I think I need someone that will do a more custom HT. Do yall know of anybody, or does one of you do it? Thanks a bunch. :D
 
Sorry to change the subject from the original ATS 34 question,... but I've never heard anyone talk negatively about ATS 34. I'm new to knife making and would like to know a little more details, although I'll probably still use stainless. Is it JUST how they hold an edge?

Sometimes when I go hog hunting my knife stays bloody for a while after gutting in the field and I worry about non-stainless staining. I guess if I oil the knife before it will protect it?

I'm curious since I've had stainless knifes hold a good edge, what are the advantages of other steels. I'm not that educated on other steel properties.

I just do stock removal. No forging yet. Need to build a shop one day to forge.


Kraig
www.sedergraphics.com
 
I just do stock removal. No forging yet. Need to build a shop one day to forge
I'm the same way as you kraig, though I hope to someday forge. Just don't have money to get the tools!

Brian
 
Perhaps I should refine my statement on stainless bowies.A bowie is a frontier use knife.It is intended for chopping,fighting,butchering,ect.A bowie should be forged to get the most out of it.Stainless steel is usually not forged.A carbon steel blade has more of the "look" of a bowie,too.
Kraig - I love ATS34,it is my most used steel for professional cutlery blades.For forging,I use 5160 and 1095 mostly,some 52100,too.
As Fitzo pointed out,D2 (near stainless) is very good steel, but a bit tough to grind.
 
elvenbladesmith07, I'd like to go OT for a second and try to clear something up. I expect I'm as much to blame for some of this as anyone. There are a lot of smiths that use stainless and get excellent results. I reluctantly admit that I have several in ATS-34 and consider it an excellent steel although, I don't think of it as a true stainless.

I make a lot of jokes about stainless only being fit for fishing lures, Etc. but most of the older members here can separate my off color jokes from reality. I do prefer to work with simple carbon steels for a variety of reasons, the least not being the simple heat treat process.

The makers that use some of the excellent stainless on the market, have a perfect right to be offended when the steel they use and advise their clients on are belittled in a fairly serious tone.

I'm not sure if you really stand by that statement or if you are just yanking chains ( I do it all the time but the foot in the mouth icon helps). If you are really serious, you are missing a whole aspect of knife making that should not be overlooked.
 
OK peter,I hedged that statement a bit.I didn't want someone coming back and saying that they hand file their D2 blades.The truth is that D2 is a Bi##h to grind.As a matter of fact it costs more in belts than steel to make a big knife in it.
PS,hope we're cool.I think we are both strong willed types who do too many things.I have no intention to offend.
 
PS,hope we're cool.I think we are both strong willed types who do too many things.I have no intention to offend.

I'm not sure what your talking about Stacy, so I guess we are :confused:

If your talking about steel for Bowie's, I personally agree with you but don't want to leave the SS people out in the cold. There aren't ever any hard feelings on this site. We're all friends!
 
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