What’s the best place to get steel? I’m new to knifemaking and need some steel, ive heard 1084 is good for beginners.
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thanks for the lead
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they also have pretty low membership dues and have a facility down in haysville with forges and everything you would need along with classes i believe.
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Yes, my son wanted a membership a few years ago it’s $20 for the household, $2 fuel fee each day you come, donate a few bottles of water, and $20 for a Saturday day class. I even got in on the action, not my thing, but it was interesting to try. Here is their website. https://csma.us/
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My dad actually gets knife steel from Amazon. I’ll ask him for an updated opinion.
Edit: He says 1075 & 1084 are both good for beginners. He says Jantz supply is a place. He bought some handle material from them but they have steel too.
He says Google ‘Steel knife blanks’. He recommends 1075 over 1084 for a beginner because 1095 turns brittle. “The higher the # the higher the carbon content and the more brittle the steel.”
This info is coming from Cal, btw, my dad. He’s a newish member but doesn’t come down too often.
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I miss seeing Cal around here!
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Thanks Gemma! I’ll tell him you said that. 
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Good info from Cal. I would also add that leaf springs are commonly found in the suspension system of many vehicles. They’re made from tough, durable steel that’s designed to handle heavy loads and constant stress. This makes them a prime candidate for knife making. Leaf Springs are 5160 steel which has different alloys in them. Leaf Springs can be found at junk yards and scrap metal yards at relatively cheap prices.
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They can also be found in most parking lots.
I’ve made a few bandsaw blade knives, more for utilitarian purposes than not. I do a lot of leatherwork and never tried my hand at making a few knives for that and woodcarving. They don’t look like much but it will cut through 5oz leather like it’s butter.
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Railroad tie spikes are also something to try out. I guess the big question is do you want to blacksmith a knife or lost-material cut out a knife.
If you’re looking to cut the knife out from flat stock steel you could feasible do it in hotshop at MakeICT. Heat treating would be the only tricky part.
If you’re looking to hammer one out i can’t recommend CSMA in Haysville enough.
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My dad made lots of knives from bandsaw blades. I still have a couple, one for filleting fish that is about 1/2 inch wide, very thin and has the teeth ground off, the other is a camping knife with teeth intact and about 1-1/4 inches wide.
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I’ve made a couple knives with a forge from random bits of metal. It is a lot of hot work and so many many things can instantly ruin the piece. Then I found out the majority of knife makers just buy a knife blank of the style they want, sharpen it which is most of the process anyways, and make a nice handle out of unique wood blocks or antlers. Maybe something to think about in your search for supplies. I have piles of antlers if you want to try some of those for handles. That’s how I did the handles on the few I made.
I definitely don’t regret making a few from scratch though. It was a lot of work and money, but I will always love that experience.
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I wouldn’t mind a few antlers to use in knife making, leatherwork and robotics. If you ever want to get rid of some dm me.
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On Tue, Jun 27, 2023, 16:03 Sam Speer via MakeICT Forum <noreply@talk.makeict.org> wrote:
| samspeer MakeICT Member
June 27 |
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I’ve made a couple knives with a forge from random bits of metal. It is a lot of hot work and so many many things can instantly ruin the piece. Then I found out the majority of knife makers just buy a knife blank of the style they want, sharpen it which is most of the process anyways, and make a nice handle out of unique wood blocks or antlers. Maybe something to think about in your search for supplies. I have piles of antlers if you want to try some of those for handles. That’s how I did the handles on the few I made.
I definitely don’t regret making a few from scratch though. It was a lot of work and money, but I will always love that experience.
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I’m going to gather up as many as I can find laying around. I’ll post when I get then gathered up. I usually just toss them somewhere out of the way of my mower so they’re scattered.
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would absolutely love some antler
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wow, thats pretty cool. Knapping seems a bit too arduous a process for me to want to try, but maybe ill give it a go
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I tried my hand at it a bit but could never get as good as i wanted. Need to make some tools again and practice cutting my hands up.
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you might want to go to someone that repairs and services mowing equipment. used mower blades snd chipper blades are good sources of the steel you need. either ask or dumpster dive in sunday mornings.
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