Wrong steel, what should I do?

What should I do?

  • Finish the knife and use it as a wall-hanger.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Scrap it and start anew.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Get some 100# braid for the handle and make a fish scaler.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Atlas Knife Company

Atlas Knife Company

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
3,668
I understand mistakes will be made by us noobs. After spending several hours working on a 5" blade, buying lots of tools, making a guard, testing different handle styles, and learning where to get a knife heat treated, I decide to find out what king of steel my blade is made of. 303 Stainless. The steel was leftover from some light hangers I made for my indoor planter. It ground nicely and drilled nicely, but apparently it is garbage for blade longevity.

Here's my question: Before I go to the trouble of welding the guard, buying a sheath, building a handle, and sharpening the blade, should I scrap it and start over? I only have about two weeks in it and don't need it done until April.

I suppose I could make the nicest fish scaler you''ve ever seen. Although I always filet so I never use a scaler.
 
The hard part of making knives is putting the handles on so you would be farther ahead to carry on and finish the knife. What you learn from the handle assembly will prevent problems in your second attempt.

George
 
I agree with George.Go ahead a finish this one so the handle finihing mistakes you make will help you not make them on the next one.
Stan
 
scrap it. I'd rather learn on a good piece of steel. If you're in the lower 48 I'll send you a foot of 440C for the price of shipping
 
I think this would be the time to use your newly improved skills to grind out a new blade--why spend more time/resources on a useless piece of junk? JMHO.
 
There are a number of people that advise grinding on cheap mild steel for practice. That's great in a way, but that only allows you to practice on only one aspect of knifemaking.

You have an opportunity here to continue practicing on other knife making skills--installing a handle--which is a great opportunity. But, seeing as how the knife will be unusable, you will not really have the ability to evaluate how the handle functions. Will there be hot spots? Is the overall handle shape useful for the intended purpose of the knife? etc.

If you are going to practice at making a knife, then make a knife. There are many different steps to knifemaking that need to be learned (and evaluated along the way) that attempts on mild/non-hardening steel won't be the best use of time (and shop consumables!).

If you are going to spend the time cutting and shaping a blank, grinding the bevels, hand sanding, fitting bolsters, guards, and handles, heat treating, etc. and in the process use up grinding belts, wet/dry paper, sand paper, handle scales, steel, and pin stock or bolts, etc. . . .

. . . then what are you accomplishing if you cannot evaluate whether or not your knife is a usable tool because you've used mild steel?

If a person is going to practice, they need to practice the entire package.

You've received some good experience grinding the bevels, hand sanding to get to the desired finish, etc. Now that you know that the steel is unusable, set it aside, consider the lessons learned, and move on to the next knife.
 
Wow, not the results I had expected. I had expected a much greater percentage to vote to finish it. Considering that the vast majority of the grinding and sanding are finished, I think I will begin working on a handle for it. I have a nice piece of red oak that I have been trying to think of a use for. Probably not the best handle material, but that would fit the rest of the knife.

50% voting to scrap it was really unexpected. I really expected more people to vote for a quick cord wrapped handle and make a scaler from it.

knife2.jpg
 
Last edited:
zaph1 said:
Wow, not the results I had expected. I had expected a much greater percentage to vote to finish it. Considering that the vast majority of the grinding and sanding are finished, I think I will begin working on a handle for it. I have a nice piece of red oak that I have been trying to think of a use for. Probably not the best handle material, but that would fit the rest of the knife.

50% voting to scrap it was really unexpected. I really expected more people to vote for a quick cord wrapped handle and make a scaler from it.

knife2.jpg
Click to expand...

its not that it looks bad, It looks better than my first attempt. But what would happen if I went ahead and finished it would be endless hours of playing with it, using it and ultimately kicking myself for not using the correct steel and making a highly useable and functional knife and Ide get frustrated. But thats learning... gotta crawl before you can walk...


on second thought.. go ahead and finish it..I see that this could be a great time to "crawl before you walk".... finish it man:thumbup:
 
finish it out - use domestic wood for the scales, and get some practice with fitting, pins, etc...
then make a nice plaque or shadow box for it and give it to someone as a gift.
 
Another vote for finishing it.

Practice is the name of the game. Well that and practice. And of course you can't forget....practice. ;)

Patrice
 
get yourself a big block of wood . Then get a big hammer and beat that think into the block of wood . Then put it in your shop as a display and a reminder to always know what you are working with before you start working . :D
 
I wouldn't spent one extra minute or dime on something that's already failed. Throw it in the scrap pile and use the handle portion for guards or bolsters on future knives.
 
Finish it for the experience, learn off of it, and see how good you can make it.

If worse comes to worse you'l trasht his one instead of your next one, or you could use it for a test on engraving, vine filework, etc. Just because its not going to get sold or used, dosent mean the material needs to be wasted when theres plenty of other uses for it. Onceits made up you could reuse it for other things like inlay.
 
Its your first knife, finish it. I have a POS from Home depot steel with a horn handle and sheath, what a POS but I love looking at it. My first stock removal knife.
 
My 2 cents....we all have what I will call "mistake knives"...some we determine to be mistakes after we finish them....some we decide are mistakes before we finish them...this one falls in the second category....if mentally you can put your best effort into finishing it knowing that its a mistake, go ahead and finish it...if the knowledge that it is a mistake will cause you to give it less than 100% of your skill in finishing it, then stop now and start over.
 
You can still make a knife out of it, it just won't cut as well or as long. It'll be better than the copper knives cavepeople used.
 
Finish the knife out. You will find a hundred uses for it around the shop. I do preach 1 thing over and over to students who come to my shop. Use a known steel. For the $4.00 you saved you turned , from what I see, what could have been a nice first knife into a learning experience. 1080 is a very inexpensive steel. Cost about the same as the crap steel at Lowe's.
 
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