# Ironworking Knife Blades Tools



## Rag and Bone (Aug 23, 2008)

What metals are good for making tools and blades?

Lets see some pictures of what you guys made!


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## daveerf (Aug 31, 2008)

Hey Rag, a common material used for knife blades is either A2 or D2 Cold Work Die Steels.


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## NuggetHuntingFool (Sep 2, 2008)

Depends on the tool and also what the blade will be cutting.

He's right about D2 and A2. When I worked with the die welders those were the most common... however I've seen O1, S7, W1, M1, etc...

Take a look here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_steel#Composition

A lot of different uses for a lot of different steels.


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## butcher (Oct 8, 2008)

Rag & Bone, really depends on type of knife or tool you are making, you can buy many metals to make knives ect. I use the metals I have in my scrap and have made some really nice knives, I suggest you try the same thing, you can even make a nice knife from Iron ores, how you work the metals and heat treat them is probably as important as the metals used. if you are starting out try some of these, old files, automobile leaf spring, or coil spring, chiesels, saw blades, wood planer blades,mixes of metals work great mix softer and harder metals together folding and welding and folding welding ect ect, this is almost as much fun and rewarding as electonic gold mining,and be as simple or complicated metal refining, both of these arts have been worked since man started using tools, well actually knife making is older, and I have also made some nice Knives and other tools from rock (flint) an ancient art of Knapping, a very simple explanation of making a knife : take a truck spring, use a forging fire, or rosebud acyetalene torch or propane forge ect, heat the metal almost to melting cherry red, forge the blade to shape, hammers and anvil, or old railroad ect,the metal shapes easily when red hot , dont hammer it cool reheat it, after the shape about where you like it shove it into sand or use heat to lower temperature slowly, the slower you cool the metal will be soft to work, file it to shape, but do not put a sharp edge on it yet, then file and sand it to a polished finish if wanted, can weld on bolster if wanted, then harden it, heat it to a cherry red almost to melting again untill it becomes non magnetic,(test with magnet), now while still hot dowse it in old motor oil (or salt water brine) this crystalizes the metal and makes it very hard, but it is now brittle and if dropped will shatter sikinda like glass, it will now need tempering,polish metal so you can see the color chage, this will soften it back up, but still hard this in my opinion the important part, heat it to a about a straw yellow color about 200 degrees centigrade (holding that temperature if possible bout hour) quenching it in the oil to hold it at this softer hardness, (the color of the metal is an indicator of the temperature), now if wanted you can etch a picture ectdip in hot wax ,draw your desighn, use acid bath to etch steel, clean shrpen add handle,bone or antler is nice, heck if you wanted you could electroplate it in gold and silver but thats another story. wish we were were we could make one toghether people love it when I show em. if you get into this some of your best tools wont be with the expensive store bought metals, but the free stuff with your sweat added,different tools are tempered differently a chiesel handle is soft tip hardened, only face of hammer hard, Thanks again Rag Bone, hope you can read this. Richard


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## viacin (Oct 9, 2008)

I was big into blacksmithing last year. One material I liked for knives was rail road spikes. They are cheap, and forge nicely.


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## goldsilverpro (Oct 9, 2008)

Power hacksaw blades are excellent. I think they come as thick as .100".


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## Lou (Oct 10, 2008)

This is something I dabbled in (not specifically knife-making) a while back. I was going to build myself a real nice propane forge for it but then someone stole my anvil!

I had a nice 215lb cast steel anvil with a beautiful ring and a great bounce. Loaned it to the local high school's shop class and they put it outside when they were done with it. Went to pick it up and it was...gone! Needless to say I was (and am) a bit miffed about losing that!


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## jsargent (Mar 11, 2009)

Lou said:


> This is something I dabbled in (not specifically knife-making) a while back. I was going to build myself a real nice propane forge for it but then someone stole my anvil!
> 
> I had a nice 215lb cast steel anvil with a beautiful ring and a great bounce. Loaned it to the local high school's shop class and they put it outside when they were done with it. Went to pick it up and it was...gone! Needless to say I was (and am) a bit miffed about losing that!


Nuthin' lower than an anvil theif :evil: I bet they voted Democrat too.


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## Lou (Mar 11, 2009)

I don't care what they voted, it was a darn nice anvil!!


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