welcome to your new addiction.
re-bar is poor quality steel from recycling. its got low or no carbon to speak of so hardening and getting a good lasting edge isn't really possible.
if your new to knife making don't start out with mystery steel. the cost of good known steel like 1075, 1085 or even O1 is pretty cheap and after you put in 35 hours of filing the last thing you want is steel failure.
you might want to fill out your profile with some basic info like name and location. you might be surprised a knife maker might be right around the corner from you
Erik