dale12078 Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Im just geting into knife making as a hobbie, and im wondering if anyone can tell me the best kind of stainless I can use to make a heavyduty meat cleaver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 If i were to make on I would use 440C. I have been doing this for quite a while and use mostly stainless steels for my knives. A couple of things you should know: It takes a lot of experience to forge stainless steel it can be done but your success rate for a couple of years will be real low. I do not know of anyone new to stainlees that has had any succes with heat treating at home. For a new person to make this a good start is to grind to shape and send to a heat treater for that part. then finish when it returns. You cans earch for heat treat specs and it will let you know more about what is involved. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Welcome aboard Dale, glad to have you. I don't make blades so I'll leave that to the experts. However, if you'll click "User CP" at the top of the page and edit your profile to show your location it can make a big difference. IFI is represented by members from more than 50 countries and a lot of info is location specific. Also, if local folk know where you are they can invite you to gatherings, tip you to tool deals and offer hands on help. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompdw Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 If I were going to use stainless for a blade I would use 440c. It heat treats like 1095. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) If I were going to use stainless for a blade I would use 440c. It heat treats like 1095. Excuse me ? Some Stainless requires long soak times, most stainless steels are air quench, even 440C: while 1095 needs oil quench or some use water, How can you say heat treat is the same as 1095? addition jan 2014: I forgot to mention in thin sections many standard rules about quenching mediums for normal smithing sized items can change. For example 440-C an oil quencch may be prefered, but can air harden also. Also after researching I now agree mostly with the statement about we can treat 440C like 1095. with a few exceptions. Edited January 27, 2014 by steve sells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I have had several folks that they treat 440C as if it were a carbon steel for heat treating and they claim good success. I feel that with a long blade the quality of heat treat becomes even more critical. With that in mind I suggest going with what the specs say for heat treating. For 440C it calls for: preheat thoroughly at 1400/1500f for 30 minutes, Raise temp to 1950f and hold for one hour. Air quench at room temperature. Then subzero quench at 100 degrees below zero. Temper at 400f for one hour. Thesse specs cannot be held in a typical blacksmith forge. They require a heat treat oven with proper controls. I suspect that a lot of us including Dale do not have one or have access to one. 1095 is a lot easier and can be done by most folks if they learn the basics. 1095 would be a fine steel for this project but I would choose a steel with lower carbon if I were to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dale12078 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 Thanks every one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamboolongbow Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Dale, Try ATS-34 or CPM 154 those are the two I would choose. Or forget the stainless and use 5160. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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