working with spring steel?

[Illskooled]

So i LOVE me a sharp object... carry a Tom Brown Tracker, big boy on the jeep door and mini on the hip... my profession kind of demands that i carry a blade at all times at this point i am 31 and have been actively collecting and using blades of all shape and sizes for boarder line 24 years. i have been through many blades and appreciate most for what they are but find myself in the function category rather than style. With this being said i often go to military folk for advice but find them lacking in the manufacturing end of things, except for one man i ran into a few years back. He was special forces of some type wouldnt tell me much as to why he was standing where he was but i could tell by his boots he meant business and didn't let anything stand in front of him and his goal. The reason I say this is because when i asked him what sort of blade he carried he showed me a gnarly blade made from a piece of spring steel (a leaf spring from a Volkswagen to be more specific) said he had a local forge it for him. so now here is the real question... first, if spring steel is used does one have to case harden or is there another method of hardening? Whats the workability of such steel? really just wondering the opinion of the masses as to, is the time worth the outcome. its no stainless but with a good powder coat and a sharp edge could make an excellent field blade... Will it even hold an edge though... Was going take a section and put some heat on it and start banging it between my anvil and hammer but figured i would ask before i do... anything that could be shared in respect to the use of spring steel in knife making would be much appreciated.... was really looking for a cheap source of metal to fuel a hobby... plus i like the re-purpose end of things to this date have used railroad spikes, boat shafts, anchors, old chain just about anything laying around...

 

[LRB]

Spring steel isn't any one specific steel. It is any steel that will make a good spring. That usually means a high carbon simple steel, or a medium/high carbon alloyed steel. If you do not know what the steel is, you will not know how to best heat treat it, or even forge it really. You would do best with a steel like 1084 or 5160, purchased in bar from a knife makers supply. Either is quite cheap. Then you can out how to best work with it.

 

[gredpe3]

If you have a forge/If you can test for hardness/If you have experience testing heat treating methods.It is possible to get it to hold an edge.You said you wanted a cheap source of metal to fuel the hobby,get the 1084! New Jersey Steel Baron 1084 saves time and money.
Eddie

 

[Illskooled]

So pretty much no point in trying to recycle then... Slight of having a forge, I guess I could Rockwell test and use an engineering manual to find out what the steel is and taking necessary methods and that hardly seams worth the time... I guess 1084 is the cheapest and easiest. Thanks for the input guys....

Just a random thought I guess, but is this the reason why these guys in Malaysia can take the steel from a ship and turn it into a perfectly good hand gun... Cause they know what steel they are working with or you think it's a gamble... I kind of just figured as wasteful as a country as we are there has to be something laying around in abundance that could be used to put an edge on....

 

[i4Marc]

No harm in recycling if you know the source (manufacturer) of the material, the exact type of steel, the condition of the steel (no hidden stress points or fractures,etc.) ......AND, you have proper equipment and sufficient experience to process the steel into a shiny new sharp object. Generally, mystery steel is oftentimes best used for sentimental objects (turning the late uncle Jim's plow blade into a knife for his son and such). If you are thinking you are going to make a blade out of mystery steel for yourself or someone else who will be betting their life on its performance and ruggedness, buy brand new steel form a well known source. Then get it professionally heat treated. If you are just using found steel as material for forging or grinding practice it can be just the ticket. But after all that hard work you might as well use new steel anyway so you end up with a useable knife for your trouble. Call Aldo, he'll hook you up.