[pabouvier]

I'm looking to make my own carving knives. Any suggestions as to where I can buy blade stock?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Warren sells them, as do several of the commercial knife makers.....I believe Denny sells their blades only too. If you really want to make a good knife, get an old straight razor and make one from scratch!

[Bob_in_TN]

If you're looking for "blade stock", try a Google search of "knife making supplies" and you should find a lot of info. Maybe I misread, but it sounds to me like you want the stock, and that search should help you.

[AlArchie]

You can also try to find an old reciprocating "power hacksaw" blade at a local machine or repair shop. They are about 2" wide, 24" long and just about the right thickness for knife blades or even small gouges. They area good grade carbon steel and will harden and temper very well.

Al

[Keithmc]

I have a beginners question. When and how do you decide whether or not to put heat to a blade. Does straight razor blades need to go through this process? If not why do power hacksaw blades?
Thanks Keith

[Thomp]

try http://www.texasknife.com/store/s-pa...isc1.htm~smain

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by Keithmc

I have a beginners question. When and how do you decide whether or not to put heat to a blade. Does straight razor blades need to go through this process? If not why do power hacksaw blades?
Thanks Keith

I do the straight razor cold grind ....you don't grind but a few second, dip in water to cool etc....don't let it get hot and you will save the temper...if it turns blue you lost it and will have to heat and retemper...but not hard...just don't get in a hurry.

[AlArchie]

Keith, there are "sort of" two ways of making a knife blade.

1. forging

2. grinding

Forging usually means heating a piece of tool steel red hot and hammering it into the shape you want. Obviously this requires some heat, and will require further heat treating.

Usually, and I use the term usually because there may be some other methods that will do the job, but I 'm not familiar with them, after you have shaped and refined the blade, you will have to first re-harden it, as that initial heating red hot will aneal, or soften the steel. then after hardening, which will give you a hard but brittle blade, you need to temper it. Tempering is heating the metal to a lower temperature (somewhere around 350 to 400 degrees) and letting it cool slowly over several hours. this stage can be completed in a kitchen oven

Grinding, is just that......taking a piece of already hardened and tempered steel and grinding it into the shape you want. If you are grinding an already treated piece it is VERY important not to over heat it durring the grinding process, hence the "grind and dip" method. If you get the steel too hot, you will see it turn yellow, then brown then blue, them black......OOOOOOPS! Don't do that!

If you grind carefully you will get a blade that is already hardened and tempered, although you may want to temper it again. Just use the ove.

Hacksaw blades are a bit different. They are hardened on the toothed edge and tempered on the back 3/4 or so. This gives a very hard cutting tooth, and a fairly maleable or flexible overall blade. So when working a hacksaw blade into a knife, you can simply grind it down to shape using the same grind and quench process mentioned above, but because the main part of the blade has not been hardened you have to treat the whole thing all over to get the best results.

I think you'll find that most of those hacksaw blades are O1 tool steel that can be quenched in oil. some may be W1 steel quenchable in water. It's almost impossible to tell unless it's marked onthe blank, so try both/

First, use emery cloth to clean the blade to a shiny finish, then heat it slowly and evenly to a straw color. When the entire blade is that color, quency it in either water or oil, swiching the blade around to cool it evenly.

Then go to the oven at 350 to 400 degree. Differnt knife makers will give you varying methods...blade making is considered almost magical and each magician has his own particular spells that work best........take your pick!

Hope this helps.

Al

[Keithmc]

Thanks Al. Very informative. I think I will give a hacksaw blade a try.
Keith

[Clifford_Parker]

BUY knife steel?!?! Only if you find a straight razor or a box of files at a thrift shop or garage sale.

Seriously, scrounging is fun and economical. Old files, leaf springs, clock springs, razors, and hacksaw or reciprocating saw blades can all be used for forging or stock removal techniques.

Keep us updated as your experimentation continues.