just a short couple of questions can I turn low carbon steel into high carbon steel to make a knife out of an if I can how?
cheers

You might try googling for bloomery, such as

Bloomery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a thread from November that covers what you are looking for. Hardening Mild Steel

cheers for the links very useful many thanks

Why not just start with tool steel? Why would you want to start with mild steel and try to make it into high carbon? I am courious as to why you want to do this. Thanks William

Yes, pack the mild steel into an air tight container, fill the void spaces with high carbon material, heat to a bright red heat, hold at that heat for at least a week. Or just go to the junk yard and get some car springs and make your knives from them.

This doesn't help any, but don't this to people by my cousin: He swears that if you leave a piece of mild steel in motor oil overnight, it will soak up all of the carbon, and then be tool steel, almost. Doesn't work. Just to prove it to him, I did that, next day made a chisel out of it, after one hit, the edge was completely gone, but do what woody said.

you can also do the simple steel method mentioned in the bloomeries and buttons sticky section.. its the top pinned link.. I'm actually about to go try that one myself..

I just aquired the mild steel off a friend of mine and since I live in the uk we dont have any scrap yards where we can go in and get metal anymore

you lie - where do you live in the uk?
I live in cornwall, and although the scrappies aren't fab, it is worth going to have a chat. I just found out there a about five near me that I never knew about. If you live anywhere near me, I would be happy to give you some decent steel.

I live in surrey about 20 miles from london theres no scrapyard I can find which I can even buy scrap from they say health and safety they probably think I am to young a bit wierd a 15 yr old boy asking to buy some scrap metal

Edited January 3, 200917 yr by chrispychris

Well, if you're really stuck, I can send you some conviently shaped chunks of leaf spring if you can paypal the postage (shouldn't be more than

thanks for that but I dont want to trouble you Ill try looking in the woods round my area though thanks!