MEMBER ITEMS FOR SALE
Custom Knives | Other Knives | General Items
-------------------------------------------
New Posts | New PhotosAll Photos



Go Back   The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions > Custom Knife Discussion Boards > Knife Making Discussions > The Newbies Arena

The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 08-03-2004, 04:40 AM
Cold Steel Cult's Avatar
Cold Steel Cult Cold Steel Cult is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Posts: 100
Send a message via AIM to Cold Steel Cult
Thumbs down Home Depot steel

I have been using home Depot and Ace Hardware steel ever since I began making knives. I was wondering metallurgically what was the makeup of this steel. The steel works fairly well besides flatness flaws and zinc coating that's hell to get off. Im pretty sure its a case-hardening steel, but not positive.

Drop me a line if you have any experiences or knowledge concerning this steel
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-03-2004, 06:34 AM
Don Cowles's Avatar
Don Cowles Don Cowles is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan
Posts: 2,192
Send a message via AIM to Don Cowles
It is low-carbon steel, not suitable for blades. Great for practice, though.


__________________


Don Cowles Custom Knives

Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-03-2004, 08:04 AM
Ray Rogers's Avatar
Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Wauconda, WA
Posts: 9,840
Exactly as Don said. It is non-hardening and intended for general purpose structural use ........


__________________

Your question may already have been answered - try the Search button first!






Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-04-2004, 01:44 AM
Cold Steel Cult's Avatar
Cold Steel Cult Cold Steel Cult is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Posts: 100
Send a message via AIM to Cold Steel Cult
Thanks guys!
That might be part of the reason the kniives aren't turning out well...
Any recommendations on steel suppliers (preferably in AZ) would be appreciated.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-04-2004, 05:48 AM
Don Cowles's Avatar
Don Cowles Don Cowles is offline
Founding Member / Moderator
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Royal Oak, Michigan
Posts: 2,192
Send a message via AIM to Don Cowles
Get a catalog from K&G.


__________________


Don Cowles Custom Knives

Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-04-2004, 07:23 AM
Jamey Saunders's Avatar
Jamey Saunders Jamey Saunders is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Portal, GA - If you know where it is, you probably got a speeding ticket.
Posts: 1,951
Send a message via AIM to Jamey Saunders Send a message via MSN to Jamey Saunders Send a message via Yahoo to Jamey Saunders
Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Cowles
Get a catalog from K&G.
While you're at it, go ahead and request a catalog from Texas Knifemakers' Supply, Kovals, Sheffield Supply, MSC...I know there are others, but I've reached the end of my brain right now. The more catalogs you have, the easier it'll be to find what you want.


__________________
Jamey Saunders -- Charter Member, GCKG
(Got a question? Have you tried to for the answer?)

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same of them." --John Wayne, in The Shootist
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-05-2004, 03:34 AM
Cold Steel Cult's Avatar
Cold Steel Cult Cold Steel Cult is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Posts: 100
Send a message via AIM to Cold Steel Cult
Ace Hardware sells a special kind of steel that's supposedly "weldable". I don't think it will but does it make a difference? Fact is, im desperate to hear good things about this cheap source of steel.


__________________
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-05-2004, 03:58 AM
AwP AwP is offline
Master
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Cleveland, OH
Posts: 774
Nope, weldable isn't hardenable, but there is good news about cheap steel. It's good for guards, bolsters, and also making some of the tools to help you make knives better.


__________________
~Andrew W. "NT Cough'n Monkey" Petkus
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-07-2004, 01:43 AM
Jason Cutter Jason Cutter is offline
Living Legend
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1,903
The point is to get a steel that is hardenable. Differnet manufactureres refer to it in different ways - tool steel, carbon steel etc. You'll probably realise soon enough that there isn't such a thing as cheap knife-grade steel.

The steel you are using now is called MILD STEEL or also 1018 or 1020 carbon steel. The 18 and 20 referring to the 0.18% or 0.20% carbon making them too low in carbon to be hardenable for edge holding. You need a steel that has in excess of 0.45% carbon for hardenability.

However, as mentioned, it makes great practise for grinding, and you could end up with some nice letter openers, guard fittings etc.

At the regular hardware store, you CAN get knifemaking steel - but it is already in the form of existing tools - files, chisels, saws, but you need heat treatment knowledge and equipment to convert them into a softer (annealed) condition so you can work it more easily and then re-heat treat them again back to a desirable level of hardness etc. It can still be difficult to identify exactly what grade of steel it is other than "file-steel", "chisel steel."

Bottom line is - refer to the knifemaking supply houses for apporpriate knife steel, and research what you need to do to make the steel into a proper blade. Good luck. The first steps on finding the crucial info is the most difficult, but the rewards are great. Jason.


__________________
JASON CUTTER BLADEART
Jason Cutter @ Dr Kwong Yeang
Knifemaker, Australia
(Matthew 10.16)
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-07-2004, 05:15 AM
toxicdancer's Avatar
toxicdancer toxicdancer is offline
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: st johns AZ
Posts: 33
have you tried rebar?
what part of AZ? i know a lot of junk yards in phoenix
and a dumpster or two worth perousing
any place big enough to hold a H depot has an industrial area
you'll want gloves this time of year metal soakes up a lot of sun just laying around
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 08-07-2004, 08:36 AM
cactusforge cactusforge is offline
Guru
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Quartzsite Az.
Posts: 1,482
Let your fingers do the walking, get a Phoenix yellow pages, there are several steel stores that sell tool steel. One of them is Arizona Tool Steel. K&G is in Lakeside and has overnight service to Arizona Knife makers. Gib


__________________
  #12  
Old 08-08-2004, 04:35 PM
Cold Steel Cult's Avatar
Cold Steel Cult Cold Steel Cult is offline
Steel Addict
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Posts: 100
Send a message via AIM to Cold Steel Cult
Well ill be ####ed! Toxic, thanks for the rebar idea... i got that stuff all over the house because of recent construction. Don't know why i never thought of that. IT'd probably have to be annealed first, but you could make some nice barstock outta that. Can somebody tell me what rebar is made out of, and more importantly, can it be hardened?

Jon


__________________
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 08-08-2004, 04:46 PM
AwP AwP is offline
Master
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Cleveland, OH
Posts: 774
Rebar is mystery steel, even if you buy two pieces from the same rack they could be very different steels. The requirements for rebar only specify strength, not alloy makeup. You can get lucky and find a good piece, but you'll be frustrated by the bad ones too.


__________________
~Andrew W. "NT Cough'n Monkey" Petkus
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 08-09-2004, 08:38 PM
Stormcrow Stormcrow is offline
Skilled
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 547
Cold Steel Cult - Ummm, it looks like a bit of research is in order.

Cheap steel? If you're forging, car and pickup springs make excellent knives and are free or extremely cheap from mechanic's shops and junk yards.

Grinding, I guess buy some new stock from a knife supplier. It's not too expensive.

There has been some good discussion on the Junkyard forum at www.keenjunk.com just this week on blade heat treatment and how carbon content affects it. Or check out the Heat Treating and Metallurgy forum here.

It looks like you need to learn a bit more about your material before you work it further. Good luck!


__________________
The Wasteland Crow Project: http://wastelandcrow.blogspot.com

A blog I share with a friend where we think out loud upon occasion: http://shareourcampfire.blogspot.com/

Proud to be a Neo-Tribal Metalsmith scavenging the wreckage of civilization.

My new blog dedicated to the metalwork I make and sell: http://helmforge.blogspot.com/
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 09-25-2004, 01:39 PM
Joe H. Joe H. is offline
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Ucluelet BC canada
Posts: 71
I got some tool steel from winsor plywood where i live, im useing it for practice, but in theory could it be hardend? i will go back to the store and look at the make up of the metal if they have that some where
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
blade, forging, knife, knives


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:54 PM.




KNIFENETWORK.COM
Copyright © 2000
? CKK Industries, Inc. ? All Rights Reserved
Powered by ...

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
The Knife Network : All Rights Reserved