Subject: where to get steel?

From: [email-masked] (Bryan Cort)
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 1995 17:53:44 GMT

Does anyone know where I can get high carbon or tool steel, that can
be used to make knives, without having to mail order it from the
companies that advertise in the knife magazines?  The only thing I can
think of is to use metal files, but they are somewhat brittle.

Bryan Cort
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Ray Page)
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 1995 15:28:00 -0600

You might try these people. They were listed sometime ago, but I haven't
talked to them.
Pacific Machines & Tool Steel
Portland, Ore.
1-800-547-1091
It will probably depend on how much you want to buy. Thats usually why
most small users buy from the knife people instead of direct. The
quanities that I use makes it easier to get it from a dealer alon with
the other necessaries that I use.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 14 Jul 1995 22:46:46 GMT

>think of is to use metal files, but they are somewhat brittle.
Automotive leaf springs make nice knives. You can probably get old ones
free from someplace that does automotive spring work.

                      ...when I sit down to write
Don Holly             my intentions are always blameless however deplorable
                      the ultimate effect of the act may turn out to be.
                                           --Joseph Conrad

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From: [email-masked] (ErnieLeim)
Date: 15 Jul 1995 01:45:40 -0400

If you want to scavenge steel for blades try Automobile leaf springs.
They are made with a 9660 steel and are fairly easy to forge.
Try to stay away from heavily coroded steel . The rust pits can make it a
bitch to get a clean peice of steel.
Also sawmill sawblades are fairly nice .
You can also purchase short pieces of some tool steels, such as O-1 or A-2
, from some industrial suppliers. Try your local yellow pages.
I've actually made alot of blades form straight 1040 steel and then case
hardened them with a compound called Hard-n-tuff. You heat the steel up to
cherry red , coat it with the compound , and bring it back up to cherry
red for a few minutes .
Reforge it lightly to break up the crystal structure then water or oil
quench.
No it doesn't make a world class blade but they hold a nice edge and work
just fine to cut things.
I made hundreds of patch knives for historical groups this way and never
had anyone invoke my lifetime guarantee. If you break one of my knives and
I'm alive I'll fix it.
Hope this helps

@---------------------------------------------------------@
                    Ernie Leimkuhler                                      

                  Stagesmith Productions                                  
                                          
                 Custom Metal Fabrication                                 
               
*    ABANA   SCA     AWS    USITT   IATSE local 15, 488   *
                        Renton, WA                                        
   
*"Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind" the bard  *
@---------------------------------------------------------@

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From: [email-masked] (Doug White)
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 95 13:41:56 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
   [email-masked] (ErnieLeim) wrote:
<snip>
<I made hundreds of patch knives for historical groups this way and never
<had anyone invoke my lifetime guarantee. If you break one of my knives 
and
<I'm alive I'll fix it.
<snip>

This sounds a bit like my guarantee: If you can find me, I'll fix it

A friend's was a bit more limited: 15 minutes or the end of the driveway, 
whichever comes first

Doug White