cammogunner

hey guys i am new to knife makeing but from the little i have done i love it and need some tips on heat treating steel.. at the moment i only have old lawnmower blades to use and i heard they are no good for makeing a knife but since its all i got its what i use.. also if i were to use this knife for field dressing/skining deer would it hold a good enough edge to do so..thanks in advance for any replies.

buckman11

i personally havint started makin my own knives yet... ive got a friend who made one for me.

cammogunner

Well I am sure once you start you will be addicted

DIY_guy

Lawnmower blades are made of steel. That is where the similarity to a knife blade ends. Without knowing the composition of the metal nobody can tell you the recipe for heat treating. Is it air quench, water? Oil? My experience with lawmower blades tells me one thing. SOFT. A file cuts them with ease. Its most likely soft Asian steel and not at all suitable for knife making. Go buy some O1 tool steel so you don’t have to wonder and spend a lot of time making a knife that will disappoint due to it being too soft to hold an edge.

cammogunner

[QUOTE=DIY_guy;4126328]Lawnmower blades are made of steel. That is where the similarity to a knife blade ends. Without knowing the composition of the metal nobody can tell you the recipe for heat treating. Is it air quench, water? Oil? My experience with lawmower blades tells me one thing. SOFT. A file cuts them with ease. Its most likely soft Asian steel and not at all suitable for knife making. Go buy some O1 tool steel so you don’t have to wonder and spend a lot of time making a knife that will disappoint due to it being too soft to hold an edge.[/Q
ok where do you buy o1 steel.. and i normally heat to a glowing red 3 time each time i quench in water

DIY_guy

Here look at the 1/8 x 1 ½ by 1 ½ feet long. You will make several knives from a bar like that.

http://www.metalsdepot.com/products/...cc=%20&aident=

Here you can get an 18 inch long piece for $16.50

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant...=892&top_cat=0

cammogunner

ok cool i will be getting some very soon..i normally use an angle grinder to cut the shape out on lawn mower blade.can i do that on the 01 steel?.

DIY_guy

yes but you may also want to get a dremmel with some of the cut-off wheel for fine detail work. A Dremmel tool is my #1 go-to tool in knife making .

cammogunner

ok i will be sure to to that thanks.