Altusjg Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 So a while back while on the hunt for scrap, i was given some mystery stainless 1 1/2"x1/4" flatbar. I cut it down to 5-6" long sections and set it aside so that i may later decide what i wanted to do/make with it. While messing around in my shop a couple days ago, i decided(spur of the moment) to try making a knife blade out of one of the pieces. I only had a couple hours to play so i started right then and there playing with workable temps/colors and shaping up the stock a bit. I didn't want to overheat so i kept it in the orange to brite orange range while working. This seemed to work well but please Correct me if that is not the best temp/color to work SS. After heating and beating for a while i got to thinking about how little i actually knew about the forging process(i know, i know... should have thought about that prior to starting) of SS so i normalized, put it away for the day and decided to read up on the heat treating process of SS as well as types. I read on the SSINA(Stainless Steel Industry of North America) website that "the 300 series (which contains nickel) is NOT magnetic. The 400 series (which just contains chromium and no nickel) ARE magnetic". As this is nonmagnetic stock, i assume that i can at least consider this to be 300 series SS, which leads to other questions such as how to harden. From what i have read, 300 series can only be hardened via work hardening(cold working) and the heating up of the steel only serves to anneal it. With this in mind, Am i going to have to forge(for ease of movement) this piece close to finish then cold work it the rest of the way in order to produce a hardened piece? Do i attempt a temper of any kind or leave it as is when finished cold then move on to filing, sharpening, polishing, ect.? I know some of you guys get tired of answering the same old questions from newbies that havent done there homework so i put a legitimate effort into reading as much as i could find on the subject as it relates to my intentions for this piece. Keep in mind that i am a hobbyist with a small shop and do not have access to many advanced techniques. With that said, ALL suggestions, comments, advise are much appreciated. Thanks!! -Altus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Save yourself some hassle, use the non-magnetic S/S for something else, it does'nt keep an edge well. Magnetic is just the opposite. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Make a dive knife/pry bar or a letter opener in the vein of a smith's knife and don't heat treat beyond normalizing. The carbon content is what determined the hardenability of steel, the alloy content just plays along. Stainless being magnetic or non-magnetic doesn't make much difference in determining carbon content. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Work hardening will not get you even *close* to what a proper alloy properly heat treated will be. Working temperature ranges vary by alloy. Unknown alloy is a "guess" at best. May I suggest making it into a camp eating set that can be run through a dishwasher? If you have extra left you can make the fork and the spoon as well. Dinnerware is generally soft stainless anyway. (Our local ABANA Affiliate encourages folks to bring a hand forged eating set to the club's potlucks---though they have not agreed that folks doing so should get first in line rights...) May I suggest studying up on bladesmithing *first* and this saving a lot of time and effort in the short run. "The Complete Bladesmith", Hrisoulas should be available to you through ILL at your local library; though you will doubtless want to own your own copy if you plan to do more blades! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I like that camp set idea, and I think some of my stainless rod may become a set. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 As you are reading the suggested material you may want to dig into wot other folks have written regarding forging knife quality SS. Most of wot I have seen suggests that If you really examine a forged piece closely you may find a lot of cracks in the piece. There are some knife makers that have worked out a procedure that allows forging SS with out the cracks. They are not new to forging. No matter if you remove stock or forge then grind, a base material that will work out for a knife blade will have a suitable carbon content in almost every case, Two cases that that may not be true are titanium and stone, like obsidian and flint. Those last products are not forging materials. Anything you forge will help you learn to forge. If you put in some study along with shop time the learning curve will get shorter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altusjg Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 Thanks alot for the replies. Guess I'll try to work on the camping utensil set as i do camp/hike a good bit. Since i've started shaping the SS into a blade, i'll go ahead and finish it as a blade without any expectations. I do dive occasionaly also so if it turns out well, i may add it to my diving gear as you suggested Phil. I have a few extra pieces so maybe i'll have to try a spoon and/or fork just to practice with the material i have on hand. I have a good bit of coil spring steel that i have made good knives from but was tempted to try the SS because it had been sitting there and i got a wild hair. I gave it a go without much forethought on the differences in process compared to HC steel which i am some what familiar with. Mr. Thomas thanks for the referance. I'll be ordering that book tonight as it has been recommended to me a couple times and i just havent gotten around to ordering it. Thanks again for yalls time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I of course forged my camp set from CP1 Ti; just to be obnoxious! (not a stretch goal I have been told) But I love to see peoples faces when I explain how *BAD* Ti is for knives...except for some very odd cases where edge holding is usually not as important as other things---like no magnetic signature; or extreme corrosion resistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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