Learning about steel and what all the numbers mean.

[WE Knifes]

Learning what the different steel numbers and what hardness means is a slow process.
Any suggestion to help with the learning curve?

[Fulmaduro]

Here is a good start for carbon steels.

http://www.cashenblades.com/steel/steelselection.html

Anything on metals and metallurgy by Kevin Cashen is worth reading! Enjoy!

Tony Z
Kansas City, MO

[Ray Rogers]

There is a huge amount of information about the various knife steels - the trick is to only worry about the part that matters to you. Since this is your first question we don't know much about you yet and that makes it harder to give you good advice but here's some that might help you focus your search.

If you plan to make your own blades (whether by forging or by stock removal) and heat treat them in a forge which you will build then you need 1084. Under these circumstances please don't even consider anything else.

If you plan to make your own blades and send them out for heat treatment then you need 440C.

There are many reasons why I specified the way I did but until we know more about your background, abilities, and goals the above advice is a pretty much universal fit for first time knife makers.

As for hardness, that's just a number. It's important but it isn't the be-all end-all of a blade. Again, what your goals are is more important than any single point about knife making because there are a huge number of variables that can only be eliminated when we know what you are trying to accomplish ...

[Doug Lester]

I would recommend The Master Bladesmith by Jim Hrisoulas if Kevin Cashen's article doesn't answer enough of your questions, even if you are going to try stock removal. Don't worry about hardness readings if you don't have a hardness tester or access to one. It means nothing to tell you to temper to HRc of 58 if you don't have anything that will measure hardness on the Rockwell c scale. The numbers for steels will depend on which set of codes that are being used.

I don't know if I would restrict my recommendations for a beginner's steel to 1084 but it would be real hard to do better. The New Jersey Steel Baron carries 80CRV2 which is almost the same thing with a little chromium and vanadium. Alpha Knife Supply carries something like it that they call 1080+.

If you need a stainless then I would agree, at least to start with, that 440C is the way to go.

Doug

[Crex]

Take the advice above to heart. Pick one of the ones mentioned, work it to death and learn the basic skills necessary to produce a quality blade from that steel. Once you have solid basics down the rest will be easier to master.
Good heattreatment practices and well applied edge geometry will decide whether the finished blade is a good knife or a so-so knife. Hardness is just a number that means little if the rest is not right.

Fill out your profile and tell us a little about yourself and your experience. It will go a long way in knowing how to respond to your inquiry.
Big steps between reading and understanding and application.