Steel

What is the best metal to use to begin making knives? What hand tools would you suject using? Is it better to grind or File?

Andrew

In the beginning I would recommend 5160, 1084 or one of the other carbon steels as they are inexpensive compared to ATS-34 or 154-CM or other stainless stuff and you would (most likly) make mistakes on the early attempts.

As for filing or grinding, I recommend you file your first few knives. It is hard work and time consuming but you will learn more about the metal and how it reacts to being worked than if you get on a grinder and go at it. I would venture to say most, if not all, of the popular names on this site started with a file. Just so you know, golf balls make a great handle for files.

One you start on a grinder you may want to try using plain barstock from a scrap yard for practice. You will most certainly make mistakes in the beginning and therefore using the cheapest metal is wise. Once you refine your skills to a level you are comfortable with, get some good steel.

Good Luck, keep usposted on your progress.



What is the best metal to use to begin making knives? What hand tools would you suject using? Is it better to
grind or File?

O-1 works pretty well for me. It works easy, heat treats easily, and polishes very well. It's a tad expensive at $7.50 to $8.25 a foot, but I use it in case I mess up and make a good knife; at least the mistake will be made of good steel. I'm working on a knife now out of 1095 and I hope it comes out well. I understand about using scrap steel to practice on (and I used a lot of it before completing my first knife-mostly files I had annealed) but buying new, flat, square barstock made all the difference in the world for me. I'm still very new and don't know squat, really, but I love O-1 so far. Hope this helps. There are as many different opinions on steel as there are people.

I agree, O-1 is the way to go. Years ago, I made a knife with nothing but files, sandpaper, and a small Craftsman (electric) hand drill. It looked like crap, but I was very proud of it. By using O-1, I also had a knife that just kept on cutting. In other words, if you are going to put all that labor into a knife, pay a few bucks and purchase some good steel. You'll never regret it.

A.T. Barr


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A.T. Barr
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O-1...you`ll love it as I do, I still make prolly 98% of my knives out of it!, easy to heat treat, and if you screw it up you can heat treat again!...Holds a wicked edge when heat treated right!

0-1 for grinding and 5160 for forging.
0-1 comes in such various sizes that it with help eliminate the need to remove a lot of steel to get to the profile you want.

Just my 2 ?.