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

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  #1  
Old 01-13-2002, 11:36 PM
enderbean
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identifying steel


I have two pieces of steel that I'm hoping to identify. Is there a good way find out what of steel they are made of? The people who rented before me left them in the garage. They are 1/2" x 12" x 21" and looks like the pieces came off a roll of something because it has been sheared instead of cut with a torch. A file bites it pretty nicely so it isn't hardened. Just two big plates with no marks and I haven't a clue.

I was hoping I could make filing blocks out of it like Neil Charity uses in his tutorial for making a lock back folder:

www.customknifedirectory.....htm~tmain

Maybe I would be better off using something else, but I've got these pieces sitting here so I would like to make use of what I have if possible.

Russ


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  #2  
Old 01-14-2002, 07:18 AM
C L Wilkins
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Steel ID


Is it magnetic???
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  #3  
Old 01-14-2002, 11:16 AM
enderbean
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yes, it is magnetic and very heavy.

Russ
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  #4  
Old 01-14-2002, 12:28 PM
Raymond Richard
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Steel Identification


Russ, there's a couple more things to check. Try grinding it, if you get alot of little star bursts, thats the carbon. If its mainly just straight sparks and few star bursts its mild steel. Also if you can cut off a small piece, heat it up till its bright red and stick it into some water. Check it with a file, if the file acts like it is just slipping over it and does not cut it has gotten hard, if it digs in or acts like the other steel that hasn't been heated its mild steel. You could also try breaking the piece that you heated and quenched in water. If it breaks like glass, that will also mean it has carbon in it. By the piece of steel you described that was left by the other people I would guess its just mild steel. If it doesn't get hard the filing blocks won't work cause they need to stay hard to stop the file. Ray







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Old 01-14-2002, 02:28 PM
enderbean
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Re: Steel Identification


Thanks for the info Ray. It got me headed in the right direction.

The stuff I have looks like mild steel. I found this website that shows a picture of the different kinds of sparks:

www.sweethaven.com/academ...1&modNum=4

Mine is like "A" so I guess I'm out of luck. Oh well. :\

Russ
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  #6  
Old 01-14-2002, 04:06 PM
Raymond Richard
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Re: Steel ID


Russ, you found a good page, it explains the spark alot better than an old knife maker could. I'm going to bookmark it for my own use. Still keep running into steels that have me baffeled at times. Ray
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