NJ Steel Baron Question

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R.Kell628

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Dec 12, 2012
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I'm about to order some steel for my first attempt at making a fixed blade. I was just currious what the different colors mean by each steel. I see some have one, others have two or three. Also why is there two measurements for some of the steel thickness? Is it just a variance that much? BTW I think I'm going to go start right away with a good steel and go with CPM 154-CM.

Thanks, Ryan
 
The color tells you what the steel is. It's painted on the bar. I'd imagine the measurements mean before and after scale removal.
 
Indeed, most of the steel Aldo sells is not precision ground and some steels are cleaner then others eg. the 1095 is pretty clean whereas pretty much all the CPM steels have a thick blasted, rough surface. The larger measurement is how thick it will be when it arrives and the other is how thick it will be after you grind off the scale.

If you are using minimal tools (files and sandpaper) and you want to have the flats of your knife finished out then I would recommend that you buy from the ground steel page. It will cost more but will save you a lot of time and effort. I am in the process of making some kitchen knives out of the .103" CPM 154-CM and went with the precision ground even though I have a fully setup shop. It's just so much easier to work with.

Cheers
 
That makes sense. I think I will go with the ground, its only about $10 more. I do have a bench grinder and belt sander that I will probably be using but seeing how this is my first knife, I think I will go with the ground steel. Thanks for the responses.
 
Don't pay too much attention to colors .Manufacturers, distributers and dealers all can use color coding.Make sure you know who's colors they are and what they mean !
 
It's referred to both ways. Even in the Crucible datasheet where it is consistently called CPM 154 in the body text is called CPM 154CM in the filename, title and footer.

It just one of those things... :rolleyes:
 
If you buy ground steel from NJ Steel Baron then buy it 0.5" wider than you need. Sometimes the edges get ground thinner than the rest of the stock and it can be a big burden on yourself trying to get your knife completely flat if it contains part of the thinner edge. Buying ground steel is still worth it in time saved even if you have to buy wider stock.
 
Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind. Is that a pretty good place to buy steel from or is there a better company?
 
The numbers like .103-.113 are a tolerance on ground steel, it means the thickness will fall between those numbers.
They will also custom grind the thickness to what you want.
 
R.Kell628 said:
Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep that in mind. Is that a pretty good place to buy steel from or is there a better company?
Click to expand...

They have a very wide selection in type and size, offer surface ground steel that you can't find in most other places, most steels are priced better than other places, they ship quickly, and shipping/handling is reasonable.

There are lots of other sites with great customer service and selection but if Aldo has what you want then you won't be disapointed.
 
There have been a couple times he didn't have what I needed and he got it for me. Come to think of it, I don't think I've gotten anything from him that was actually listed on his website...

He's "plugged in" to the steel industry and is an excellent resource for all of us. Not all steel is created equal, it is a blessing to have a resource where you know you're going to get quality material. We need to support him with our business.
 
I now buy all of my blade steel from Aldo. He has the best stuff, his prices are good, his shipping is prompt, and if it's not on hos website I call him and he finds it.

-Page
 
Can someone tell us what color is what , is there universal colors system for steels , is there a color chart or something? Thanks for posting this question I often wondered about that my self
 
The color codes are usually designated by the supplier. There's no universal code, or if there is it isn't universally used. Aldo has a pamphlet that he sticks in with his steel shipments that has the color codes.

Basically it doesn't mean anything to us consumers. It just makes it easier for him to sort them in his warehouse.
 
Every bar you get from him will have a color painted on one end. If you don't label your steel and assuming you have his color code brochure, just look the color up in the chart and bingo, you know what steel the bar is. His website also shows what color they have assigned for each steel.
 
I've never trusted color codes on anything. Mark every bar and every blank... especially left-over stubs that might float around the shop for a while 'til you get around to using them. Sharpies and paint markers are cheap... trying to sort through unmarked steel will make you say bad words.
 
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