Newbie here!

[NavarreteKnives]

Hi everyone! I am Josh and I am new to making knives. I have been a woodturner for many years and in the last month I've been reading and learning everything I can about knives. I just needed one more reason to be in the shop lol I know that I would like to start doing stock removal using 440c stainless and / or O1 tool steel for my knives. I am in the middle of building my belt grinder ( 2 x 72 ) and I would like advice on the types of belts I should use for the steel I will be using. I also would like advice on where to get a good deal on the steel I am planning to use and where to send the blanks for heat treating (soon I will be building my kiln to do my own heat treating). I've done a lot of research and I've found most of the info I am asking for but it has been my experience that after the initial research is always a good idea to ask experienced people. I am happy to be here and I look forward to learn a lot from all of you!

Josh

[Ray Rogers]

Welcome to our forums Josh!

You can get 440C in small quantities from most any knife supply place like Jantz or K&G Finishing or usaknifemakers.com O1 is sold by some of those places but also by any tool supplier like MSC. Since you will need to send out your first blades I suggest you stay with the 440C as getting a carbon steel processed can be more of a chore than a stainless one. Send the 440C blade to Texas Knifemakers, they will process it for around $10 and they also offer cryo.

For belts, buy the best you can afford. With experience you will figure out what works best for you, we all have our own 'mix' of belts that we prefer. Most of us will start with a ceramic belt for the initial grinding. I have been using the VSM belts in 60 grit from Tru-Grit and have been very happy with their cost/performance compared to other belts. After that, some Norton belts in 120 and 220, and finish with 400 (I think I'm using Hermes), all from Tru-Grit. Belts are expensive but you need to use them like they are free. I use a fresh 60 grit for each new blade, you will use more of these than the other belts. The rest of the blets can usually be used on several blades but if you try to use the 60's on more than one blade you may find that you lose control of your grind line more easily than if the belt was fresh.

We have a Chat Room for noobs every Sunday at 5 pm Pacific, look for the details which I post every Sunday morning and join us if you can. Its the fastest way to get over the start up hump ...

[DanCom]

Hi Josh,

Welcome. There are lots of good people here with advice and encouragement to keep you moving along. I have been making knives for less than a year and I have recently built a grinder and heat treat oven. The assistance from the guys here has been amazing. It amazes me that some things in life are still free. If you need any input, from metallurgy to leatherwork, someone here can help.


Dan

[Crex]

Welcome Josh
440c is going to be your best starter steel for stock removal. As Ray said sending out O1 for HTng can be quite a frustrating process. Most of us do our own, but it is not a beginner's process to get it correct.
Fill out your profile, you might find you live very close to a experienced maker that can help you move along in your experience. Good stuff here, but hands on is even better.

[ArmedArtist]

I am in the process of making my first knife also and I decided to use 440c. I decided to use this because I can send it out. For the first knife I wanted to focus more on the knife and not worry if I heat treated it properly. As I make a few more I will try to HT one myself.

[NavarreteKnives]

Thank you everybody for the welcoming. Thank you Ray for the info, I will stick with 440c and after sometime practicing I will try other metals. I have read about ceramic belts, how do they compare with zirconia belts? Also what is your experience with cryo? I've read it improves the life of the edge but is it worth the extra cost? Hey Dan, thank you! can you give me an idea on how much did cost you to build your heat treat oven? and where did you get the parts? Hi Crex thank you. I will definitely stick with 440c, I like the fact that is not very expensive and I know my first knives are not going to be flawless lol I am expecting mistakes. I will work on my profile asap! ArmedArtist thanks for the input. I will follow that same path.
Again, thank you everybody. I am very excited and I cannot wait to start grinding!

Josh

[Ray Rogers]

Ceramic belts last longer than any other composition when it comes to hogging metal. They don't come in finer grits though so after 60 or so its time for zirconia or aluminum oxide (the blue ones for metal, not the brown ones which are better for wood).

I cryo all my blades. Some steels don't respond to cryo but I do it anyway simply because I can. 440c reponds very well to cryo...