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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 12-06-2013, 08:35 PM
nifemayka87 nifemayka87 is offline
 
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Question High Carbon Steel?

I am a total noob at blacksmithing/knifemaking. I bought a piece of 48'x2'x3/16' steel from Home Depot, and I am not sure if it's high carbon or just mild steel. Is there an easy way to tell, that isn't the spark test.(cause I tried and can't tell.) Any help is appreciated.
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  #2  
Old 12-06-2013, 08:47 PM
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welcome.

the steel will be mild steel, wont be any good for blade steel. I'd recommend if your starting out to get a known steel. maybe a 1075, 1080 or maybe even a O1. get it from a good suppler like New Jersey Steel Baron. Aldos great to work with and the steel is good for knives.

http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/

Erik
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  #3  
Old 12-06-2013, 08:58 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Ditto what Erik said. It is very important for a novice knife maker to know exactly what steel he is trying to work with and the steels he mentioned are good choices. It will be almost impossible to find real blade worthy steel at any place except either a professional steel supplier or one of the many knife supply outfits like Aldo who specialize in knife quality steel. This is not the time for you to be experimenting with unknown steel, especially not the steel you have which we know is no good for blades. Contact Aldo or look up Kelly Cupples and order some 1080 or 1084 ....


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  #4  
Old 12-06-2013, 09:46 PM
nifemayka87 nifemayka87 is offline
 
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Thanks, also where would you get something like 5160 spring steel, or cromaly steel?
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  #5  
Old 12-06-2013, 10:06 PM
Hurley Hurley is offline
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Same places, but I'd work with 1080 or 1084 just starting out. It's a much more forgiving steel when heat treating. I think 5160 is used for a larger blade, something in the over 8" category. If you're a noob, then take Ray's advice and get yourself 1080 or 1084.
http://newjerseysteelbaron.com will get you to Aldo, good man.


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Last edited by Hurley; 12-06-2013 at 10:08 PM.
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  #6  
Old 12-07-2013, 09:36 AM
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R. Yates R. Yates is offline
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Thumbs down

nifemayka,

It seems you are not willing to listen to the Elders & Others ( Known to make Very Good Knives) of this site and while No one else will state it I will . Your continual questions of seeking a much more difficult Steel information to work with is not only a bit annoying but very disrespectful to the folks that are simply trying to help you out as Per your very own statement

QUOTED: " I am a total noob at blacksmithing/knifemaking. I bought a piece of 48'x2'x3/16' steel from Home Depot, and I am not sure if it's high carbon or just mild steel. Is there an easy way to tell, that isn't the spark test.(cause I tried and can't tell.) Any help is appreciated. "

you are refusing to except the "Help" you are looking for ! I don't know if you are trying to test the fine folks on here or just that rude and think you have the ability to work with some steel you have seen on line some where . Yes I maybe a bit harsh , However why waste the time of this forum and folks trying to help you if you will not do as it has been recommended.

If you are dead set on using a steel you have seen then do so and post your results, and I am almost sure you will fail due to lack of experience working with steel well out of your league and capabilities .

So what are you really willing to learn Sir?

Sam
13 & On Forge


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  #7  
Old 12-07-2013, 05:13 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Sorry, Sam, those who posted their advice did so to be helpful and to send Hurley in the right direction. In no way did I read in Hurley's posts what you accuse him of. I think that it's best to try to be helpful or not post at all. At risk of being guilty of moderating this site, I think that you are out of line here. You may want to rethink your actions and motives.

Doug


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  #8  
Old 12-07-2013, 05:39 PM
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Doug, I don't think Sam's comments were directed toward Hurley, they were intended for the young man who started the thread.

Don't be too hard on nifemaka87. Yes, he appears to be trying extra hard to make things more difficult for his first knife than they have to be but I can remember doing the same thing myself. It can be irksome to those who have already made the mistakes and would like to help others avoid them but we can't change human nature. Try to be patient - we have done this a thousand times but it's still new to him ...


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Old 12-07-2013, 07:38 PM
Hurley Hurley is offline
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Talking

I was merely regirgitating the advice given to me when I started. Quite true Ray, I can remember questioning you many times about leaf springs, even went as far as making knives out of a few. Then I bought a bar of 01 Tool Steel at the Georgia Knife Makers Guild meeting and have never looked back!

Sometimes you have to do things your own way to finally see that you were wrong about many things all along. And maybe the things you've been told by others not in this profession weren't quite right either. When you realize and come to terms with this, it makes you that much happier to have a place like K-NET to draw on the experience of those who have been down the road you are travelling many times and lived the pitfalls first hand.


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Last edited by Hurley; 12-07-2013 at 08:44 PM.
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  #10  
Old 12-07-2013, 08:15 PM
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Wazukie Wazukie is offline
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If you have ever raised kids, or even been a kid yourself, then you will be able to relate to this fact:

"No matter how hard we try, no matter how we disciple, sometimes they just have to make their own mistakes"

My thought for the day


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Old 12-08-2013, 12:24 AM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Sorry, Sam, if I read the statement differently than you did but I still wouldn't have come down on him that hard. It gains nothing when dealing with a beginner.

Doug


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  #12  
Old 12-08-2013, 12:31 AM
nifemayka87 nifemayka87 is offline
 
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Smile

Sorry Sam, I didn't mean to come across as ungrateful, I just was wondering where to get these better steels, because i plan on doing knifemaking/blacksmithing for a while. I was specifically wondering where to get them so that as I get better, I could eventually use these higher grade steels. I do soooooooo very much appreciate all the help everyone has given me.
How do you heat treat things like 1080 or 1084?
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Old 12-08-2013, 06:33 AM
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You will find the "search" feature very helpful as well as the "stickies" in all of these subforums on KNF.


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  #14  
Old 12-08-2013, 09:11 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Nife,

There's no harm in knowing where to get the higher end steels but not much advantage either, or at least, no real hurry either. If you are wise, you'll be working with 1084 for at least a year. The reason I say this is that not only do you need time to make a good knife you also need time to learn how to tell whether or not you have made a good blade. When you start working with the more complex steels you need to know how to tell if you got it right or not because the process becomes more complex. We can recite the steps but that won't help much if you don't have the experience to read between the lines.

We have a Chat Room get together every Sunday afternoon at 5 pm Pacific time (see the Chat Sticky thread at the top of the forum or my weekly reminder thread for details). You should try to drop in. It's a fast way to meet some of the guys and get over the initial knife making hump ...


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Old 12-09-2013, 12:58 PM
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R. Yates R. Yates is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nifemayka87 View Post
Sorry Sam, I didn't mean to come across as ungrateful, I just was wondering where to get these better steels, because i plan on doing knifemaking/blacksmithing for a while. I was specifically wondering where to get them so that as I get better, I could eventually use these higher grade steels. I do soooooooo very much appreciate all the help everyone has given me.
How do you heat treat things like 1080 or 1084?

No Herm and I guess I am at the foul. I do apologize to you and KNF folks we are all here to learn ,teach ,and do . yes I did go off the deep end a bit . I have yet to find a person I really hate on any knife building site ,yet a few I do not commentate with as we just do not see eye to eye . the thing is many will never make it past their first year in the smithing world or get into the knife making side of things and be good at it due to they want to start big and end in failure . we as humans have it built into us to try to run before we walk yet is the main reason we fall on our face when doing so .

Starting out with less complicated steels helps new smith develop the correct hammer control,it is more forgiving and will take the abuse of about all newbie forging mistakes . this is why about every Old smith will recommend it to the new folks to start with.

Best Regards

Sam


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