Knife making metal list

[remist17]

I am hoping someone out there has a list of metal that can be used for knife making and the needed heat cycles?
I am sure it in this site someplace, but since I am a new member I am not sure the location to look or what to search for,

Thanks

[AUBE]

You probably won't find a comprehensive metals list and heat treat guide all in one place because there are so many steels that can be used for knives. Basically makers pick a few to deal with an look up the heat treat schedules for those alloys. Typically the steels manufacturer will offer heat treat schedules, so you can go right to the source.

The steel chart at the following link comes in handy...shows all the common knife steels composition, along with some obscure ones. http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelchart.php From there you can pick which steels might interest you, see if you have a supplier for them, and find a heat treat schedule to see if you'll be able to ht it properly.

[Ray Rogers]

If you're doing stock removal and heat treating in an oven there are many steels available but some are much more popular than others. For the most part, there is no need to work with a dozen different steels. Most of us get by just fine with O1 and 1084 if we want carbon steels and 440C and S30V if we need stainless. You can swap one or more of those out for something else if you prefer but unless you have a very specific problem you're trying to handle one of those steels should do an excellent job for any knife you would want to make.

As for HT specs, the most reliable source is the manufacturer of the steel. Go to their website and get the specs if your steel supplier doesn't have it but for any normal steel they'll probably have the spec available...

[TexasJack]

The late Bob Engnath was a terrific knifemaker with a pretty prolific web site that is still operating. It has great info on various metals. Click Here for Engnath's Site

[Doug Lester]

I would advise that you think of steels in groups rather than specific alloys, then you can look for something in that group that's available that will work and then see how to heat treat it and go from there. It will also help if you decide whether you want to do strictly stock removal or if you want to forge too. There are some great air quenching steel out there that will work fine for stock removal but they all should be scratched off the list for the beginner bladesmith.

First of all and most importantly there is carbon content. Generally you will want at least 60 points of carbon. A point is 0.01% by weight. In SAE codes that is represented in the last two or rarely, three digits, i.e. 1095 has approximately 95 points of carbon, 6150 has 50 points, and 52100 has 100 points or 0.95%, 0.50%, 1.00% respectively. If you are starting out, with a few exceptions on the low end I would stay between 60-84 points. Lower than that you can find some alloys down to 50 points that will give some wear resistance from other metals added to the mix. Above than they all will be more demanding on heat control for reliable and consistent hardening and tempering. This applies even if you are doing pure stock removal. It will also depend on how they are heat treated.

Complex alloying can also cause problems with heat treating in that some require longer soaks at higher temperatures to put carbon into solution in the austinite to harden the steel. This requires greater heat control than can be had from a gas forge and may require tempering temperature higher than can be achieved in a kitchen or toaster oven.

If you don't have the vaguest idea of what I'm talking about then you need to do a little homework. I doubt that you're ready for books like Steel Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist or Metallurgy Fundamentals but if you go to Knife Dogs Forum > Knife Makers Area > Heat Treating Forum on KnifeDogs > Your Heat Treating Tool Box I'm sure you will find answers to questions that you didn't even know that you had. These are a group of articles by Kevin Cashen who has made a study of metallurgy as related to knife making and has the equipment to do a lot of his own testing.

At any rate. It's best that you find one or two steels at most that you can work with and learn them before you expand your palette.

Doug

[dallas1]

Originally Posted by TexasJack

The late Bob Engnath was a terrific knifemaker with a pretty prolific web site that is still operating. It has great info on various metals. Click Here for Engnath's Site

Great info thank you for posting his web site!

[cbsmith111]

If you have an android phone or device there is a Blade Steel Composition app. It is a database for about any steel you could imagine with the composition and a description of basic properties and equivilent steels. The above advice is what you need to follow, but if you're like me and you just find it interesting to read about different blade steels then this app is a good thing to have during extended restroom visits.

[remist17]

Thanks everyone !! I really appreciate all the responses.

cbsmith sounds you and I are alike.