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Rich and Steve I just found this post and more y'all have wrote thank you both for everything y'all do and the hard work y'all do to help newbies like me it does not go unnoticed

This is my first attempted at making a hand forged blade it is rough forge to shape I still have to grid it to the final shape and grind in the sec and Primary edge befor starting to harden sorry for the delay I just figured out how to post pic from my phone

Rich hale I believe what is happing is you and Steve and most others miss under stood what I said! if you look closely I said " i don't want my current skill level and cost to limit me because this is one of my goals I want to work up to."Infer-sizing strongly on work up to!!! I put that in there so that when someone asked me about my skill level and I told them that I had very little Experience Actually making a blade, but i have very strong under standing of what goes in to the making of a blade. That I didn't just end up with a form of ppl telling me something that I already know " I'm not ready " I hoped by being honest and tell ppl that I just wanted to work up to it one day. that I would get honest Opinions on what hss or very high carbon steel that I should one day shoot for.. As far as 10## steel I agree that a good blade can be made from it for that use if made correctly and heat treated correctly but would a blade of Zdp-189 , cowry X or Rex 121 out preform it. if made correctly and heat treated correctly what is your Opinion on this I do not own anything at this time but I have Access muipli type of blacksmith hammers and tools such as tongs two anvils gas and coal forge and a power hammer. I would love to post a few and see what all think but can someone please tell me how to from a iPhone

Thomas powers thank you I'm going to start doing some research in to that and see about maybe sending it off to get it done correctly by someone with the proper Equipment and Knowledge to do so if I can. guys I think I should say that I want to try this after a year or so once iv completed many blades and taken some classes. But I do know that I most Likely will fail at it many times before I can make a single blade out it if ever. So please don't think I'm being cocky if I am coming off that way i am really not that way I'm a very Analytical person and try to push my self to do the best I can at this I just want to learn and help anyone that I can with stuff that I know about. part of this Topic came from the fact that I'm a Chemical Engineering major and while I'm In school the things I learn from here my Professors can help me under stand the Metallurgy side of it better p. Iv loved knifes and thing of that Nature sense I was a child iv always wanted to learn about black smithing I think it is amazing how y'all can take fire iron Anvil and hammer and make so many thing I'm Fascinated by the old way of doing thing and the new. I in no way think this will be easy Or possible to do anytime soon. Thomas finding that steel to read up on and study is why I posted this I was looking as cowry x it has a make up of. C: 3.00; V: 0.30; Cr: 20.00; Mo: 1.00; iv seen some things online about how great of a kitchen knife it makes and was just seeing if there was anything better before really started to dig deep into it and find out later there is a better steel. I don't know much about D2 other than i found this is the make up C: 1.50-1.60; V: 0.90-1.10; Cr: 11.50-12.00; Mo: 0.60-0.90; Mn: 0.15-0.45; P: 0.03; S: 0.03; Si: 0.10-0.40; witch it looks like would be a good steel as well thank you for that info I'm going to Start reading more in to it. Metal99 thank you for your response please correct me if I'm wrong I'm more alone the lines asking than stating fact! but can't hss like Rex 121 get up to like a 72 Rc if the high Thermal cycling Is done properly ? Ok as far as the very high carbon that's was asked because of the cowry x having 3 % carbon as for the .6 % I don't know much about that because I don't own many knifes that are not over 1% C I have like 15 knife made of white 1 witch have 1.25-1.35 C and blue super witch has 1.40-1.50 witch are all Japanese knifes as far as Toughness that's not what I'm looking for I'm looking for edge Retention and the Ability to take a Extremely fine edge that will be used to cut sushi. Or Tomatoes for ex. I agree with you complete about what you said about mass Production knifes like Spyderco they really can't make one because of the Warranty. Issue with it. I did see that there are making Or made a knife about of Zdp-189 witch has a 3% C I want to buy one to try it out. I think I should state that I am aware that Probably the number one cause of blades chipping is Improper blade. Geometry and Misuse I think most will agree with that. if I came off rude by any of that my Apologies I mean so be. Polite in most of what I write but can come wrong "on paper " oh and most of my knifes are in the ball park of 66-68 Rc that's why I'm looking for that and yea I just order some Monday next week going to order some 1085 to start working with. Thanks again Thomas Steve will you please inform me how anything I have asked could be Confused with me being a troll? I plan to start with scarp steel the. Move up too 10** steel that once I am At a Respectable level with that steel I want to move up to a little more Difficult steel then work up too hss steel or what whatever steel I find. So please tell me how my head is in the clouds as well ? I am starting at the Beginning asking a Question about something for in the Future is not skipping the beginning ! As far as making a blade I'm going to Practice learning some of the skills Tom. Steve thank for your response I'm not be Sarcastic ether I know you mean well you just must have Misunderstood what or why I was asking what I did Samcro. Yes it is and I understand that. I'm not thinking I will be able to I want to do it to see how far short I fall Probably a lot but I think if would be a good metering tool to see how close or far I'm getting over the years do you understand we're I'm coming from? I do know more that I act like I do. but I have never made a complete blade in my life I'm going to start one Tom hopefully. I didnt and don't want to come off Arrogant. I ask the question because I didn't know but I wanted to ask humbly. I spend most of my free time watching videos on forging and reading on forging I'm trying to learn this the best I can't I'm not like most people my age as I'm not in to Video game and stuff. I was raised around Cattle and grown up in the country this kind of stuff is my video games so to speak. I'm very much willing to help my self I devote most of my free time to trying to learn I'm reading the art of black smithing by Alex bealer right now ill pick up the book you. Mention next thank you for that I hope y'all understand we're I'm coming from Bigfootnampa I'm not looking for some holy steel just the best steel for the task I want to use it for a Extremely sharp Slicing knife that can hold a edge cutting soft Medium but I under and Totally respect what you said a Properly make knife will out Preform Any knife Regardless of steel if that knife is not made properly.

As stated in my first post IDONT WANT SKILL LEVEL AND COST to limit me I am simple trying to find the what the best steel for what was stated. that can be used For Laminated and homogenous blade and one alone time from now I may try to make a blade from it

Thomas it is but to do something you most test your Progress on something that is very Challenging that's how you push your self in my eyes if I was just making knifes out of cheap easy to work steel I would one day get bored with it if there is something to push me to get better i would stay at it much longer

John thank you I will take a look at the books I know this is a very high goal to set for my self but that's just me anything worth doing is worth trying your best . Jm. Thank you for your comment the cpm like Rex 121 is what I'm looking for. "the white deer so to speak ". The knife that once done properly is just amazing. as far as heat treating does anyone know what the diffidence is it just a small temp range to quench and temper in or the high and coldness of the heat temp. As far a small window I have very Accurate measurement equipment for pressure level flow temp and ph that's what I do for a living i work on measurement equipment in the plants So the small window does worry me that much because the equipment I have can give with in a .25 of a deg F. I have no plans to try this until my skill are to the level they need to be but when I do I want to be pushing to learn the best of the best there is for what I'm wanting it for thank you all for the comments and any more info would be much Appreciated

I am working with a smith in my area he is teaching me some of the basic skill of forging steel plus what I learn on my own next year I have plans to take a blade smithing class with Murray carter and the question was asked because after all that I want to have a steel in mind to try to work up to I plain to put my time in lone befor trying this that's why I said I don't want skill level and cost to limit the steel talked about to my under standing cowery x and Zdp 189 are very hard steels to work but the take a crazy sharp edge that is the kind of steel I'm looking at ( high speed steel or very high carbon steel ) not the typical 1085 or so forth Thank you Ps I'm in no way trying to be rude if I come off that way sorry

Thank this is a really good site from what I see so far. I have been reading little bit by little for a few hours I just have not seen anything about what I asked yet but I am going to Continue to read them. My skill are limited at the moment but I am work on this at this time I have not been forging long enought to even talk about. thermal cycling process if you are talking about annealing quenching and temping I have a descent understating of it. I agree a 100% I have a strong under standing about a lot of and a frim understanding of the knife making process from forge welding tempering and ex A slicing knife to be Exact Japanese Yanagi-ba Double Bevel I work in the plant I'm use to blunt Again I asked this because what the find the best steel for what I want to set a goal for my self

Well let me start by saying I am new to the site and blade smithing but do have a descent amount of knowledge about knifes. my Question is I'm trying to find out what is the best steel to use? Let me explain what I'm looking for. I want to one day make a knife out of the steel that will take the Absolute finest edge and have descent edge Retention in a slicing knife. I don't want my current skill level and cost to limit me because this is one of my goals I want to work up to. I have Multiple knifes in white paper steel and blue super steel but want something more. I have a billet of cowery x steel and was looking at Zdp 189 but I can't find a Supplier for it. I'm also wanting a steel that can take a Rc 68 plus if anyone can help me with this or point me in the right Direction I would really Appreciate it thAnk you for your time