new bie question

[voppa420]

I am new to this whole knifemaking thing and have a question for yall. I bought a piece of thunderforge damascus because I thought it looked cool to make a knife out of. I've been reading some bad things on this site about thunderforge when it is heat treated. Heat treating is something I've never done. I have only built kit knives. Does the steel have to be heat treated? Is it possible to do without it? What would the consequences be? Also, Is it possible to get steel that has already been treated and just grind it down to a blade? As I said, I'm new to this so sorry for the lack of knowledge in this department.

[Ray Rogers]

For the steel to be useful as a knife blade it will need to be heat treated. Steel is sold in the annealed state to make it easier to grind and to drill holes in it. After the blade is shaped and drilled, the heat treating will make it hard enough to hold an edge and tough enough that it cannot be easily bent or broken. If you don't heat teat it, you won't have a knife - you'll just have a piece of steel that looks like a knife.

It is possible to get steel that is already hard and grind it. This is common with makers who re-cycle old saw mill blades into knives. But, you need a way to cut up the hardened steel that won't over heat the steel and then you have to deal with the grinding and finishing of the much harder steel again without over heating it (which would ruin the heat treat it already has).

Heat treating is the heart and soul of knifemaking. If you are ready to make your own blades you may as well learn to heat treat them. Carbon steel is cheap and easy to get and there are many posts on the CKD about how to heat treat it. Basic heat treating of carbon steel is not really difficult to do.

Put that damascus away until you have made a few plain blades first and have learned the techniques you need to know before you risk wasting a piece of fairly expensive steel....

[voppa420]

Can this be done inexpensively without having to buy special ovens and such?

[Ray Rogers]

As long as we're talking about carbon steel it can. Stainless steel blades can be sent out to a professional heat treater and processed for $5 to $10 each.

Use the Search button to find info on heat treating carbon steel with a torch, using a one-brick forge, in a BBQ pit...the list goes on and on. It is probably the most often discussed subject in these forums....