Everyday items into knives

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Elmar Roux

Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Messages
7
  1. Greetings
    I am completely new to knife making and would like any and all advice. I want to start forging knives and have the tools to start (for the most part). I want to make knives out of everyday items, I do not want to buy any steels. What are good everyday items that make good knife steels? I was thinking about files, motorcycle chains, leaf springs, spanners, steel cable, saw blades and bearings. I would like to use rebar for the handel and "sandwich" the proper steel into the rebar handel and forge weld it all together
 
Of the two things you've mentioned, ball bearings and vehicle leaf springs are by far the best choices you've listed.
Elmar Roux said:
I would like to use rebar for the handel and "sandwich" the proper steel into the rebar handel and forge weld it all together
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"handel"???? Sounds like you're talking about San Mia when you speak of taking a good knife steel for the core with a softer low carbon steel for the outside cladding. "IF" you've got the skill to get a solid weld using rebar, then I expect it will work just fine. A lot of this depends on your skill level. Good luck.
 
I agree with what Ken said. Ball bearings are normally 52100 high carbon and leaf springs are normally 5160. Files can work too. I have read somewhere to harden files like w2 steel.

I have tried forge welding rebar and it can be very difficult. It has a lot of imperfections. If you quench it in water around 1500* and break it, you can see many imperfections where it broke. I would just get enough of the high carbon to make a full blade and handle.
 
With what common knife steel can leaf springs be compared to if they are heat treaded correctly? S30v, 420hc, 154cm?
 
Leaf springs are normally 5160 steel - a very good high carbon steel for knife making. The steels you listed above are SS, not carbon - totally different ball game.

Have you forged at all yet? If not, your first step might be to forge a leaf spring into a knife shaped object.... then make it into a knife.

If your welds are not good they will be obvious - delaminations, inclusions, etc.
 
Just my opinion, but if you're just starting out, and would like to reduce your learning curve considerably, I'd start with some known quality medium to high carbon, homogeneous blade steel. Get the basics of beating out a knife shaped object down before you get into the more advanced concepts like forge welding, unknown heat treating, and things like san mai. A basic carbon steel is cheap, and cheaper yet when you think about on the time, effort, tooling, and other consumables you'll save when your not spending additional hours (or days), forge fuel, etc... trying to make something from a rusty old mower blade or file that may not even be harden-able at the end of the day.
 
I would highly recommend using a known steel. (just said this in another post :)) But if your set on using unknown steels here is my .02

Most steel is hardenable, it's a matter of how hard it will get, especially if you are guessing the steel type and heat treat.

I would just get a bit of the steel you are wanting to use and try a basic heat treat. Heat to a bit more than non-magnetic and quench in oil. If a file still bites the steel after this it isn't hard, try a different steel or different heat treat.
 
Elmar Roux said:
Thank you for the advice, I will consider it. How can I "field test" if a steel is harden-able?
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Most makers heat a "coupon" to just past non-magnetic, then quench in some pre-heated oil. (Canola heated to about 130F is ok for this). If a file still bites, you can repeat the process, but quench into a brine (salt water) solution and see if a file then skates off. It's not exactly scientific, but it can give you a general idea. You can also try a bend test after hardening. If it bends and takes a set, it didn't harden. If it snaps, you may a have a reasonably hardenedable steel. A look at the grain at the break will also give you some idea of the quality of steel and heat treat.
 
knife to a gunfight said:
.........A look at the grain at the break will also give you some idea of the quality of steel and heat treat.
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Knife says it correctly - The grain is important. The grain should like about the same as a file that's broken. It's really hard to describe how to "look" at the grain - but just put broken coupon along side a broken file and you'll easy see any difference
 
Best way to describe the grain you are looking for is matte grey. You don't want to see bunch of small grains (little bumps) at the break. Like I said above, you can easily tell how imperfect rebar is by doing this.
 
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