choosing right metal

[mghvgeo]

Hello all.
So I decided to make knife.
Knife that I have in my idea is extremely elastic kitchen knife. Size 12"(including handle) Length  by 1" Width, and 1/32" or 1/64"thickness.

1st. Problem I am having is I do not have any practical understanding in metals. Which metal should I chose for elasticity?

2nd. Problem I live in an apartment so heavy big equipment is not allowed for me so I have to use my dremel to cut out of shape of knife. Please do not laugh.

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header there may be a bladesmith member within visiting distance.

You have a worthy goal but you have a lot to learn about making before you have much chance of success. A flexible blade say a filet knife isn't an easy blade to make, certainly not a beginner project.

Among the many things you need to know is the correct terminology, you can't tell folk what you want or need if you don't know what it's called. For example elastic, knives aren't elastic they don't stretch out and snap back like a rubber band. Flexible is the word you wanted to use. That's just one example of a long list just to learn to ask questions and understand the answers.

A dremel isn't going to do it, files and various sand papers will.

Iforge has an extensive blade making section with some of the best bladesmiths in the world contributing, just take a look at some of the pictures. Pull up a comfy chair, pour yourself a beverage and get ready for many hours of high value reading. It's one thing to decide to make a knife it's an entirely different thing to decide to LEARN to make good knives. I'm not trying to discourage you I like good knives, love looking at blades that make me drool on my keyboard and I'd like to add YOU to the list of people who can make knives collectors want.

Frosty The Lucky.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

For one that thin I would look at 1075-1095 spring steel. A custom knifemare I knew used ATS34 stainless for his filet knives, then sent them out for heat treating. 

But yes, read through the knife making section here , and some of the various knife making forums. It is more than shape and use.

[ThomasPowers]

Minimal tooling, Minimal skills: I would use a section of wood cutting bandsaw blade; not the little bandsaws but lumber making resaw or even main saw.  Do not overheat it while working it cold!

[mghvgeo]

I will buy this set of 1095 Width 6",  Length 12", and I will see how it will go.
I will try to cut it with my dremel, I will see how it will go. During cutting I will pure water time to time over the metal to keep it cool.
If the cutting will go smooth(I am sure it will take long time), then I will try to slowly drill holes for handle.
For sharpening I already have set of wet stones.
I will see how it will.

I do not expect perfection, but I am hopping for something!
What I have to lose  $38 and one day?. Against what something practical that I made by my self with my hands. No Problem, sign me up.

Thank You all for info.

I will be posting pictures right here and maybe on intractable.

[jmccustomknives]

How do you intend on heat treating this material?

 

[Frosty]

I think we're looking at a translation program situation here. There are some pretty obvious grammatical clues telling me he's not an English speaker.

Heck he might not need to heat treat at all if all he's looking for is springy and picks the correct stock. He WILL cut it with his dremel and do all the grinding with sharpening stones. Given time couldn't any of us? I could shear the profile out with a couple crescent wrenches and a stone hammer and do my grinding on a rock. Using my torch and firing up my grinder would be my preference but if I had to. . .

I'm looking forward to seeing the pics.

Frosty The Lucky.

[mghvgeo]

I do not use any translation program.
Sorry that my grammar is not good.
By the way I do try to do my best.

[Buzzkill]

No problem.  We can understand what you mean mostly.  If you intend to use the steel you referenced as it is, you will get the flexibility you are looking for.  However, the steel comes already tempered at a lower hardness than is generally considered good for edge retention.  It will be better than mild steel for sure, but it's listed at 48 Rockwell hardness.  We usually try to be at the high 50's to low 60's to get a good balance of edge retention and toughness (flexing without breaking, but still returning to the original shape). If you do no additional heat treating and you are careful to keep the steel from heating up past its current temper you can make a decent blade, but you will have to sharpen it more often than you would with optimal heat treating.

I look forward to seeing what you do here.

[Steve Sells]

On 3/14/2016 at 0:58 AM, mghvgeo said:

I will buy this set of 1095 Width 6",  Length 12", and I will see how it will go.

that is very thin shim stock,  Only use for blades would be as layers in pattern welding.  Also that is very over priced. Dont worry about the language issue, we have members form over 160 countries, many are not native English speakers.  Place you location in your profile and you may be surprised how many live close to you, maybe even fellow countrymen. also some  may know a better term to use to assist you in understanding. As we;l as a closer supplier for materials.  the price for what you showed is much too high.

Welcome to I Forge Iron

[ThomasPowers]

And we are used to typos as many of us pound metal better than typewriters.

 May I strongly suggest you look up a local ABANA affiliate and see about attending some of their meetings to get a better hang on metalworking as a hobby.

[Frosty]

NYC!? No wonder it's hard to understand you I think the Big Apple has more people speaking different languages, dialects and slangs than any 4 other countries! Cool, we'll just ask you if we don't know what you mean. S'all good.

Frosty The Lucky.

[TheoRockNazz]

Frosty, don't you go shootin off no smack about us NYC peeps!

Or whatever  Actually your first response to this topic was fantastic, you should save that as the default response to similar posts.

mghvgeo, I live in NYC, let's meet up and talk about how to make real knives

[Frosty]

Talking smack? What could I possibly add to you being from NYC? I mean REALLY Theo . . . N-Y-C.

That did come out pretty well didn't it. I just get so tired of saying the same old thing I'm starting to sound like a sour old curmudgeon and thought a change might be good. I'm going to try to make that a pattern for replies to the " I'm gonna lean to blacksmith by making a sword" kids.

I'd be hard pressed to think of someone better to help our new friend learn bladesmithing. The lucky guy.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Frosty, just type responses to the NYC crowd in capitals...

found that yelling at them when I was In the service worked well, as then they new you heard them. (They stand way to close and speak way to loud/aggressively for us gun toteing westerners).

if the assembled can read my spelling, typing and adaptive text, they can read anything! (Tho Steve, Glenn and assorted moderators have cleaned up some of my best work ;-)

[ThomasPowers]

Charles I miss some of those earlier ones; I'd just let my eyes go out of focus and read them and if something really hit an odd note go back and puzzle out what you were trying to say.   I have a spell check built in on the browser; though we tend to argue a bit now and then...I remember arguing with an English TA in college who gigged me for a word he didn't know and wasn't in his little college dictionary.  I told him he sould get a real dictionary and if he wanted to see it in the wild it was in L'engle's "A Wrinkle in Time".

Now where I'm working we often have split conversations---I'll be trying to brush up my Spanish and they will be trying to practice their English and we'll both revert to Spanglish as needed.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Well thank you, Master Powers, I have it on good authority that a computational linguist in the employ of the DOD has analized my spelling and has In dead found a comprehensible pattern.