What Kind Of Carbon Steel Are Crowbars Made From??? and Other Metal Questions

Z

Zombie_Steel

Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Messages
21
so my first knives have been made using Harbor Freight Crowbars. i know that they are a medium carbon steel and from what i have learned that is somewhere between 1030-1045 carbon steel. i can get them cheep enough, (i do have a line on LOTS of leaf springs i am planning on getting), and so far seem to make a decent knife. not the high quality of a 1095 or 5160, but good.

so my question is two fold, 1) what do you guys think of crowbar steel for a knife? and 2) what kind of steel do you guys think it is?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
as you guys know i am very new to this but seem to be hooked! so i am wondering what your favorite steel to work with is and why?
 
If you are buying prybars from HF, you might as well be buying good knife steel for about the same price. No grinding off paint, annealing, or straightening out just to get started. Makes sense right?
Oh and any steel from an unkown source is a mystery steel, period. Why guess to save a dollar or two, if that.
Just my .02
 
You probably want to post this kind of stuff in Shoptalk. I absolutely agree with Mr. Tendick, crowbars are not the way to go. Neither 1030 or 1045 will make a very good knife, even if you really knew what the alloy was.

Plus, if you're forging, the sheer work or breaking down crowbar stock into knife blades is a waste of time. Just get 1/4" x 1.25" flat 1084 from Aldo Bruno or someone. It'll be cheaper in many ways.

If you really want to mess around with salvage steel, try automotive coil springs- I used a lot back in the day, learning. Leaves are too hard to split or forge down to size.
 
Please!!!!
Crowbars aren't knives, and they aren't made of knife steel. Just buy some knife steel from a supplier.

Filling out your profile would be a good idea, as well as reading the stickies.
 
Bladesmiths (those who forge) will have more concerns about this. High-alloy steels are more difficult to shape with heat and pressure/impact.

As a stock-removal guy, I have the luxury of working with any steel I want, since I do almost all my grinding while the steel is fully annealed. Simple alloys like 1084 and O1 do grind/drill a bit easier than complex, high-alloy ones like Elmax and the CPM- steels, but it's not a big enough difference to be a deal-breaker.

I choose steel not based on how easy it is to work, but on how well it will perform for a given knife design.
 
Don Hanson III said:
I would not even use HF crowbars for prying, much less knife steel... :D
Click to expand...

That.

For goodness sake, Zombie, please spend more time reading and less time chasing rabbits. Everything you need to know is in the ShopTalk stickies.
 
james terrio said:
I choose steel not based on how easy it is to work, but on how well it will perform for a given knife design.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, BUT newbies (like me) should also know there is no shame in sending blades to a professional for heat treat. For those of us that have to scratch that itch of playing with glowing steel and a quench bucket, go with 1084.
 
I like O1, because it is easy to file, and sand. I get a finish that I like with less work.

However, the variety of steels I have worked is limited: a file, an industrial hacksaw blade, 154CM, CPM154, A2, O1, and 440C.
 
aarongb said:
Absolutely, BUT newbies (like me) should also know there is no shame in sending blades to a professional for heat treat.
Click to expand...

You're dang right, there's no shame in that. I do this for a living, and I currently send all my blades out for professional HT.

You are correct that 1084 is a great choice in terms of being easy to HT well without a lot of fancy equipment. It also happens to make really good knives. :thumbup:
It also happens to be very wallet-friendly, and easy to forge or grind.
 
i hear a lot of guys like O1 and W1 tool steel. so my question is this... i hit garage sales often and find cheep tools like wrenches, sockets, screw drivers and the like for dirt cheep. is there a rule of thumb as to what kind of steel certain types of tools are made from, like say a wrench? or a why to get a good idea as to what it might be? it could be a source of very cheep steel for me.
 
 
Zombie,
Slow down and please read some. You are posting the same type of question repeatedly is multiple threads. I am going to merge them for the sake of keeping things straight.

The answer to your question can be read in hundreds of posts, found by a search, that basically all say......NO, you can't tell what something is made from.
 
Mr Zombie,
If you would fill out your profile (I know it has been suggested before), then people could better help you.

When professional knifemakers suggest that you not use things like wrenches for knives, I would listen. You will not save any money, let alone time by trying to use mediocre items as knife stock.

This is an excellent source for very inexpensive knife steel----->>>>> http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/

Local spring shops (we don't know where you live, or we could help you find one) are a great source for cheap, know steel. Probably cheaper than garage sale wrenches.

I can purchase a brand new, 20 foot piece of 2" x .250" 5160 for less than $100. That would likely last you a couple years, and is way cheaper than HF pry bars.

Listen to what knifemakers are telling you, they have the knowledge if you will listen.

Best regards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top