Exploring Knife Making Steel: A Guide for Beginners

Knife Making Steel - Brown County Forge

Knives have been essential tools for centuries, and the knife making steel used to make them plays a crucial role in their performance.

Different steels offer various attributes that affect a knife’s sharpness, durability, and resistance to wear.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some common knife making steels and discuss their unique qualities.

We will also talk about steel suppliers and provide recommendations.

Stainless Steel

303 Stainless Knife Making Steel
303 Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a popular choice knife making steel as it resists rust and corrosion, making it low maintenance.

It’s also easy to clean and maintain its shiny appearance.

However, stainless steel knives can be less sharp compared to other steels, and they may require more frequent sharpening.

Common Stainless Steel Grades:

If you’re looking for a knife that won’t rust and requires minimal care, stainless steel is a good option.

High Carbon Knife Making Steel

1095 Carbon Steel

High carbon steel is known for its exceptional sharpness and edge retention. These knives are favored by professional chefs and culinary enthusiasts because they excel at precision cutting.

However, high carbon steel knives are more prone to rust and require regular maintenance.

Keeping them clean and dry is crucial to prevent corrosion.

Common High Carbon Knife Steels:

  • 1045
  • 1075
  • 1084
  • 1095

Search for 12-inch lengths and more at OnlineMetals.

If you’re willing to put in the effort to maintain a knife’s edge, high carbon steel is an excellent choice for its cutting performance.

Damascus Knife Making Steel

Damascus steel is renowned for its exquisite patterns and historical significance.

It is made by layering different steels together, resulting in a blade with exceptional strength and sharpness.

Damascus steel knives are highly sought after by collectors and those appreciative of craftsmanship.

However, they can be more expensive and require precision work to make a successful knife.

Check prices on Ladder pattern Damascus here (Amazon.com).

Tool Steel

Tool steel is known for its durability and toughness, making it ideal for heavy-duty tasks.

Knives made from tool steel can withstand high impact and resist wear. They are commonly used in survival knives and outdoor tools.

However, tool steel knives may be less resistant to rust and require regular cleaning and oiling.

If you need a robust knife that can handle demanding tasks, tool steel is a reliable choice.

The most common tool steel used for knifemaking is O1. That’s “O” as in Oscar and the number 1.

Also available at OnlineMetals under Tool Steel.

Conclusion

Damascus Knife Making Steel

Choosing the right steel for a knife depends on your specific needs and preferences.

Stainless steel offers easy maintenance, while high carbon steel provides exceptional sharpness.

Damascus steel combines functionality with beauty, and tool steel offers durability for heavy-duty tasks.

By understanding these different steels, you can make an informed decision when purchasing a knife.

Remember, regular maintenance and care are essential to ensure your knife stays in top shape, regardless of the steel you choose.

Have questions? Contact us!

How to Finance an Anvil at Zero Percent

How to Finance and Anvil at Zero Percent

Anvils can be expensive. In this post, we’ll talk about how to finance an anvil at zero percent.

No gimmicks. You can do this today and have an anvil by next week.

How to Finance an Anvil at Zero Percent

Part of the mission of Brown County Forge is providing high quality information to aspiring blacksmiths.

Critical to that goal is providing good information on obtaining equipment.

We talk about anvil pricing and where to buy them every week in class.

Here is how to buy big anvils without huge up-front costs.

Step One: Qualify for Financing

This might sound intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward.

The most common company you’ll deal with to get financing for online purchases is still PayPal.

They offer a service called PayPal Credit to people with relatively good credit history.

This service makes it easy to purchase large items for no or low amounts of money up-front and 0% interest if paid within 6 months.

They will do a credit check. Be prepared for both soft and hard pulls on your credit history.

To qualify: Go to PayPal Credit

Step Two: Find an Anvil You Want to Buy

You have a lot of choices in anvil brands today:

  • Atlas Knife and Tool
  • Cliff Carroll
  • Emerson
  • Kanca
  • Mathewson
  • NC Tool Company
  • Peddinghaus
  • Scott Anvils
  • TFS – Texas Farrier Supply

Not all of these anvils are for sale with PayPal Credit as an option.

Here are two blacksmith suppliers that use PayPal payments:

Blacksmiths Depot carries Ridgid-Peddinghaus, Refflinghaus, Kanca, and Perun anvils.

Texas Farrier Supply only carries their range of anvils in the following weights:

  • 30 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 100 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 150 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 200 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 250 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 300 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 400 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil
  • 500 pound TFS Blacksmith Anvil

Step Three: Purchase the Anvil Using PayPal Credit and Pay it Off in 6 Months

Paying it off in the six-month time frame is the important part here.

If you fail to pay off the balance, the APR is 28.49% for new accounts.

That starts to add up very quickly on an item that costs between $500 and $3600.

Note: If you struggle with budgets, please don’t use this method.

Blacksmithing is an amazing craft. But you shouldn’t risk your financial health to get started.

If you have a hard time keeping a monthly budget, financing large purchases may be too risky for you.

Please act accordingly.