Relying on a non-industry specific source is buying a pig in a poke. Specialty steel suppliers are the only reliable source of non scrap material. Local hardware stores, big box stores, etc, have no source of either documentation or traceability of the materials they sell. You're as well off (or better off) obtaining scrap that has already been used for specific manufacturing purposes - springs, blades, or the like - to make experimental or personal items. If you want to actually make tools, blades or anything else for specific purposes, then buying from a steel specialty supplier is a must. The manufacturing capability is better than it has ever been. It's the distribution that makes it tough to get what you expect.
