I'm planning on making several "walking staff" swords similar to one described in a
Knives Illustrated article I read last year.
The blade will be 20 to 25 inches long about an inch wide and perhaps a quarter of an inch thick.
Though I've made many knives over the years I need to keep this project simple because my skills and equipment are limited. I'll be using hand files and a small belt grinder to shape the blade. If I do the heat treating myself I'll need a steel that's amenable to
an amateur metal butcher like myself.
The author of the article used 440 and I've been considering O-2. Any suggestions about these two or some other steel would be greatly appreciated.
Knives Illustrated article I read last year.
The blade will be 20 to 25 inches long about an inch wide and perhaps a quarter of an inch thick.
Though I've made many knives over the years I need to keep this project simple because my skills and equipment are limited. I'll be using hand files and a small belt grinder to shape the blade. If I do the heat treating myself I'll need a steel that's amenable to
an amateur metal butcher like myself.
The author of the article used 440 and I've been considering O-2. Any suggestions about these two or some other steel would be greatly appreciated.