Where you buy your steel?

B

blandies

Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
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I've been so concerned with getting the right tools that I completely ignored the type of steel I need.

I've been using something I found at a yard sale, just thin bar stock. I know you cannot work with already hardened steel.

Where does each of you buy your steel? And what steel would be good & cheapest for a beginner to practice making knives with.?
Just so I can get started grinding, etc w/out wasting much money.
 
jawilder summed it up - Aldo is THE MAN! Talk to him about what types of knives you want to make, etc. and he'll hook you up.
 
Aldo! Aldo! Aldo!

I'm thinking Aldo's going to owe us a kickback.....

1084 if you do your own heat treat with a forge, etc. Overall it's the best steel to start with even if you do have other ways to heat treat yourself...read up on the three steel types in the stickies above and you'll know which steel is best for a beginner!(1080/1084).....

Ask him about other steels if you have a knife kiln or are able to or send out for heat treat....
 
I'm going to have to give Aldo a call:)
 
blandies said:
Thank you, I did read it 3 times & went to every link.
I was asking what specific steel would be good for me, nailing it down to the cheapest. I had no idea from the list which was best.
Click to expand...


How should I rewrite this so it is more clear then ?





Steel
The “welding steel” at Home Depot / Lowes… is useless for knives.

If you send out for heat treating, you can use O1, A2, D2, CM154, ATS34, s30v, 440C, plus many others.

If you want to heat treat yourself with minimal equipment, find some Eutectoid steel, 1070, 1080, 1084.
1084FG sold by Aldo Bruno is formulated for Knifemaking and is well suited for DIY heat-treat.
http://njsteelbaron.com/
Phone # 862-203-8160

1095 is a good carbon steel, but a bad choice for a beginner with limited equipment.
1095 needs very precise temperature control and proper fast quench oil Kevin Cashen - 1095 - hypereutectoid steel
 
12345678910 said:
How should I rewrite this so it is more clear then ?





Steel
The “welding steel” at Home Depot / Lowes… is useless for knives.

If you send out for heat treating, you can use O1, A2, D2, CM154, ATS34, s30v, 440C, plus many others.

If you want to heat treat yourself with minimal equipment, find some Eutectoid steel, 1070, 1080, 1084.
1084FG sold by Aldo Bruno is formulated for Knifemaking and is well suited for DIY heat-treat.
http://njsteelbaron.com/
Phone # 862-203-8160

1095 is a good carbon steel, but a bad choice for a beginner with limited equipment.
1095 needs very precise temperature control and proper fast quench oil Kevin Cashen - 1095 - hypereutectoid steel
Click to expand...

I see the Steel section.

"If you want to heat treat yourself with minimal equipment, find some Eutectoid steel, 1070, 1080, 1084.
1084FG sold by Aldo Bruno is formulated for Knifemaking and is well suited for DIY heat-treat."

-Originally Posted by blandies-
"Thank you, I did read it 3 times & went to every link.
I was asking what specific steel would be good for me, nailing it down to the cheapest. I had no idea from the list which was best."

I was unsure of all those which would be best. I apologize if I'm asking dumb questions, I don't have the slightest idea what the differences are except from all I've read so far on these forums. I do appreciate your help....just really new to this, and forums.
 
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Of the list I would go with 1084"FG" from Aldo. They all cost pretty much the same and this one will be the easiest for you to HT as a beginner. Once you have things down you might try some of the other alloy steels but keep it simple right now. By the way, FG is a designation Aldo has given his steel he has made up. The rest of the world just calls it 1084.
 
I plan on sending all of my made knives out to a company for heat treating since I do not have a way to do so myself yet.
 
Well then, if you're going to send out for heat treat you can get whatever steel you want. CM154 or 440c would be as good as any.
 
You might want to try njsteelbaron.com I hear he's good , almost as good as Aldo:jerkit:
 
Another suggestion, if sending them out for HT- alpha knife supply has good prices on a huge range of stainless and carbon steels. Everything from 52100 to CPM10V, Bohler K390, etc.

The Bybees are just good folks to deal with, too.
 
I gotta second AlphaKnifeSupply.com Great selection and great prices on small quantities. I would recommend starting with 154cm because it's relatively cheap, easy to work, and it makes a great knife. Have Paul Bos heat treat it and you're guaranteed a good knife as long as you file or grind the bevels halfway decent. If you really want to heat treat it yourself then 1084 from Aldo is a good choice.
 
I'm on Alpha knife supply's website now under the 154CM stainless section. There are tons of choices to choose from, what is a good thickness/length to go with?
 
3/16 x2" gives you a lot of room to fix mistakes. 154cm 5/32 is thick for a good hunter.
 
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