However, a coil is just metal wrapped around something so if you unwrap it, it becomes just a cylindrical piece of steel that can be worked like anything else. Suspension SpringsĪt first glance, a spring may not seem like it could possibly be a knife because it is round and coiled. Just aim for older pieces of steel as they don’t make things like they used to, with older steel being higher quality overall. Depending on your plans for the blade, some may work better than others but if you’re able to get one, it’s hard to go wrong. Pretty straight forward, right? The Best Scrap Metal to Use for Knife Makingīelow are some of the more viable scrap pieces to consider for your home forging. It is FAR easier to understand with a video than in words so give this quick (just over 1 minute) video a watch. If the piece still bends it’s no good for knives since it won’t hold an edge.īy taking a piece of your mystery metal and touching it to your grinding wheel you can judge the carbon content by the color and shape of the sparks. Try the same heat then quench process but use water this time. If it bends either it’s low carbon steel or it’s a water quenching steel. If it is hardenable steel it will break rather than bend. Take your quenched and cooled piece and put in a vice then smack the side of the piece hard with your hammer. many common metals used in knife making are oil quenchable so it’s a good place to start. Take a small piece and heat it till it is no longer magnetic (that’s a very general way to know you got it hot enough) then quench it in oil to harden it.
If there is a fracture or other serious damage sustained, it probably won’t last through the forging process. You can also perform some basic tests on the scrap you come across, such as scratching the material to determine the hardness, trying to bend it to test strength, or smacking it into something to test toughness. Fortunately, you can always cut a piece off of a bigger piece to make a smaller knife, which is why many scrap knives are smaller. If you plan to make a 6-inch blade, you need something of a similar size because although you can hammer the steel to various shapes, you cannot suddenly make more appear to fit your project. In many cases, this carbon content is great for all-purpose knives and shouldn’t give you too much trouble when it comes to forging.Īdditionally, you’ll need to consider the size of the scrap you’re going to use. This is because the steel used in these scrap items would need a higher percentage of carbon to be able to withstand pushing and pulling, but a low enough carbon content so that it is not brittle enough to fracture outright. When looking through your local junkyard or workshop for scrap, you’ll want to keep an eye out for anything that was regularly put under strain. Overall, the ideal knife will have the right percentage of carbon and other alloys to perform what it was made to do effectively without risking breaking or other damage. However, if there is too much carbon it becomes brittle and you risk fracturing with any impact. In steels with higher carbon content, the metal is going to be harder and stronger because it helps hold the iron atoms in place. When it comes to determining the strength, hardness, and toughness of your knife, the carbon content plays a major role. For finer knives that emphasize cutting, you’ll want something strong and hard, but it won’t face much impact, so it doesn’t need to be as tough. For hatchets, machetes, and other blades that have to withstand impacts, you want a tougher and stronger metal that won’t fracture. The ideal type of metal for your knife or blade depends on what you plan to use it for. This means that a surprising number of “scrap” metals can be used for knife forging – and bring their stories along with them. Smaller but thick steel can be pounded down to a wider, flatter knife shape with enough work. The good thing about metals (and steel in particular) is that despite whatever form they previously took once they are heated, they can be reshaped, given an edge and more.
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