New guy looking for some data

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dugan26

Joined
Mar 20, 2024
Messages
4
Hi All -

I have been playing around with knife making for a short time but made my first successful one using a blank piece of steel from Amazon. Grinded the shape, etc ...

Used this piece of steel:

Knife Blade Steel - 1095 High Carbon Annealed Steel, Knife Making Billet, 1.5 Inch x 12 Inch x 0.187 Inch​

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Because of the success and excitement i am looking to continue with this hobby. I will add success came after 5 attempts where i finally got a good knife with a nice bevel and i am happy with a beginners knife. Trust me its nothing to boast about but, i think i got the hang of the concept. With still a lot to learn.

Is there some kind of table or document that states the types of common steel available and what they are generally used for? I would like to know something like this steel is the best of the best for X type of knife, and so on. Not sure i am even asking the right question.


Lets say i wanted to make a Bowe knife? what's the best steel for that?
Or lets say i wanted to make a super duper Japanese kitchen Kinfe what's the best steel for that?

Or is great steel just great steel?

Is there some kind of table i can reference for quality of steel?

So far i have had to just read tons of internet sites that dont exactly put that all together in terms of comparing one to another.

any help greatly appreciated.


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Sam Wilson said:
How prepared are you to go broke and have little to show for it?
Click to expand...
Without fail whenever my AG consultation dad is out wine tasting he always asks the vitner " what's the best way to turn a large fortune into a small fortune?" The answer: open a winery!
 
This will be good reading, to start with. And the web site is a wealth of info.

knifesteelnerds.com

New Book! Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry - Knife Steel Nerds

Update 3/29/2022: I added that SD Knives and Supplies is the place to buy in South Africa Update 3/31/2021: I added that Gameco is the place to buy in Australia. Update 10/13/2020: I completed a minor revision to Knife Engineering to correct a few typos. Some readers outside the USA also asked...
knifesteelnerds.com knifesteelnerds.com
 
Some steel supply sites like New Jersey Steel Barons have nice information about each steel when you click on one and scroll down.
 
Welcome Dugan26. Fill out your profile so we know a bit about you and where you live. This helps a lot to get good answers. It can also get you offers of steel and supplies.

As to "The best steel for XYZ", there are hundreds of choices, most all of which will make a fine knife regardless of the style. The choice mainly depends on how you will make the knife (Forging vs Grinding) and your HT method (forge HT and type of forge, electric HT oven, send out for HT).

The proper answer is, "The BEST steel is the one you can work with the equipment you have and Heat Treat method."

Your 1095 is a bit trickier to HT than 1084 or 80CrV, but all will make a good knife. They will all make a bowie knife, too. For a new knifemaker Most of us recommend 1084, 80CrV as good starter steels. They are also good steels for all makers, including the experienced ones.

You will read online and in this forum discussions over many steels that sound wonderful - Magnacut, 26C3, Elmax, Wolfram Special, and all sorts of strange numbers and exotic names. These are great steels, but a knife made with them requires certain level of equipment and the cost is usually higher. They don't make a "BETTER" knife, just a different one that the simpler steels.
 
When looking at 1084 for knifemaking I think that it is a super steel.
It can be made to do anything you want if you can control the austenitising and tempering temperatures. I think I read somewhere that the maximum amount of carbon that it is possible for austenite to contain is 0.83% @735 c
There must be a reason why 1084 was designed the way it is.
Thank you Sir William Austen for sharing your hard earned discovery with the world.
 
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Thank you all for the thoughtful information. I think i have enough here to entertain myself for a while.

Thanks again.

The pictures of the knives you all make in the gallery are absolutely incredible. Really nice work.
 
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