Questions about modern automotive leaf/coil springs and sway bar steel...

S

sh00ter01

Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
1,703
And whether these materials would be suitable for forging knives. See, I have a reliable source for spring and sway bar steel, but all are from never vehicles, nothing earlier then about '02. I've heard older springs were made from 5160, which is great, but what about newer springs (coil and leaf)? What are they made from? What about sway bars, they're obviously some type of spring steel as well, but anyone know what kind?

Anyone use these materials to make blades? Got any suggestion for how to test said materials to know if they'd be any good for knife forging? Any automotive manufacturers to look for when getting said parts (or stay away from)?

Anyways, am I wasting my time here or have a viable source for free steel?

Thanks in advance:thumbup:

-sh00ter
 
While there is a thread on the subject. Does anyone know what metal peterbuilt truck and peerless trailer springs are made with.
 
Take all those springs sell them for scrap and use the money to buy good steel.
 
All leaf springs should be made of high carbon. Most are 5160 but you never know for certain unless you have them tested. You can sure forge a knife from them but you won't get proper hardness out of them unless you know exactly what kind of steel they are and how to properly harden them.

Use them for your personal collection and sell them with the understanding of what they are. Don't lable them as 5160 unless you know that for sure.

One reason I quit using them is because they have already been used and abused and may have hairline cracks and stresses in the steel that I don't see. I use new steel for all my knives and save the springs for tools and such
 
The basic spring steels for automobile suspensions have been 5160, 9260, and 6150. More recently they may be modifications of these or anything else they can think of !! In the last 5 years or so there has been quite a revolution in steels ,other metals and polymers and fiber composites for various parts of an automobile .Buy steel of known composition and save yourself headachs !
 
What Mete said. Buy some 1084 from Aldo http://njsteelbaron.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=6372&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=55&vmcchk=1&Itemid=55

and save yourself from a load of heartache. I still have piles of leaf spring from a bunch of my old cars, I'm sure I'll use it for something some time, but the spiderweb of cracks and deep rust pits not to mention the fact that it is mystery metal meant that every time I tried to make something with it it was a 50/50 proposition whether I was wasting my time, and my time is worth a whole lot more than steel (not to mention the wasted propane, sanding belts etc.)

-Page
 
A 4ft piece of 2" wide 3/16" thick 1084 is $26 bucks plus shipping. Thats 5 10" blades if you overlap the tips on them. Say $7.50 a blade. Thats less than a good block or scales, less than the sandpaper or belts. Less than just about everything else that goes into a knife. Even if your fast it takes hours to get it ready to HT. Then more hours to finish. Why, try to save on the cheapest, but most important part?
A while back a member got a big set of older truck springs. He had the same idea, but, was willing to have them tested. Guess what? Their carbon content was to low. Its all fine and good if you want to play and experiment. If you want to make knives, get some knife steel.
 
Thanks for the info guys:thumbup:

The steel would be just for making myself some blades but I don't want to waste my time and be disappointed with the final product, so I guess I'll stick with know steels.

Might still try making a hawk from it though:D

-sh00ter
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top