Where to get metal?

Shinglowping- Rob! beat me to it but FOR SURE talk to him or Marylin about getting some good stuff. Take it from a newb like me- they will treat you right, explain the what's and why's of what you are looking at and will even heat treat what they sell. Service has always been very prompt, prices are very fair especially if you consider shipping and customs charges from the states.

My personal advice (without asking you what you intend to use the knives for) is to get some 3/32 stock to try with (that is what I did) as it is fairly thin so grinding bevels won't be too hard (or discouraging), and you can spend more time picking apart your design and tweaking the little things rather then spending all of your time and effort grinding down 1/4" stock.

But that is just my 3.2345 cents Canadian. (2 cents US)

Not an employee- just a happy customer looking for more money to give them!
 
I would personally disagree on the 3/32" to start with. I purchased about 30lbs of it as I love thin blades. But, I found that being new to this that because it was so thin there is NO room for error when you grind. If something was not even or such I had no steel left to correct it. I had also purchased some 5/32" along with it and it seems to be working out much better for me......SO FAR. Only my personal experience and thoughts.
 
Thanks again guys. I'm a bit mystified by the site. There are no prices shown, and I'm realizing I'm not really sure what I need/want. My goals are: A slightly tweaked T.B. Tracker a decent fighter/utility and a set of steak knives. I made the blanks for the Tracker and the Fighter out of bunk steel from homedepot and it turned out very well. Now I know the steel is lemon but I got my feet wet and really want to keep the ball rolling. But yes, I'm a bit lost. What steel would be best for a camp style knife? What length width etc? Thanks in advance everyone.
 
Not sure what site you are talking about? For a camp knife I would say the 3/32" is out (unless you want a Tracker machete). Even though you used bunk steel it would help if you showed pics as then your design would be clearer for suggestions.
 
OK I just spoke to the peoples at Homedepot and tried to determine what kind of steel I bought from them. They said "There are no kinds, only Steel or Aluminum." Very helpful. Any idea what I have here?
 
OK here are some pics as asked. These are pics of the Tracker I had hoped to make as well as 2 pics of my pride and joy. Hand made Ginunting.

 
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Shinglowping said:
OK I just spoke to the peoples at Homedepot and tried to determine what kind of steel I bought from them. They said "There are no kinds, only Steel or Aluminum." Very helpful. Any idea what I have here?
Click to expand...

You just asked the same question on page 2 and you replied to peoples responses?
 
I don't wish to offend - but - I'm beginning to think you're jerking our chain. I just went back over the 3 pages of this thread and was suprised by the number of times I had responded. You, sir, need a bit of education on knifemaking. I'd suggest you buy Step-by-Step Knifemaking by David Boye and Heat Treatment, Selection, and Application of Tool Steels by Bill Bryson. After you read those 600 pages you will be in a better position to ask more specific questions than 'Where to get metal?'. Those books will give you the knowledge to know what kind of metal you're trying to find. And, chapter 17 of Boye's book gives you a 46 step checklist on the steps required to make a knife. Step 2 is 'select the steel'.

Regards and good luck,
 
Shinglowping - call us on the toll free number if you are having troubles with the site. We'll get you set up with whatever you need.

Rob!
 
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