wat do i use

[fulton]

gday guys i would like to make a knife but dont no wat to use for the blade could some 1 help me :(

[mayall]

Hi Mate
you can use old circular saw blade . old files or power hack saw blades or a speical type of stainless 440c or ats34 . there is a few or o1 or d2 steel as well. hope this helps you out .Mayall

[jamie]

G'day Fulton,

As Mayall said stick with the tried and tested blade steels.

01 is a high carbon tool steel (1% carbon) and is easy to work with. As with any carbon steel it needs to be cared for or it will rust.

440c stainless steel is also a good steel to start out with. Both will heat treat well and I strongly recommend you send any blades to hills heat treatment for such a service. It will only cost you $6 + postage per blade under 200mm.

You could ring Keith Spencer at the AKC. He and Joan are very nice people to speak with. There business is set up for the novice knife maker and they are more than happy to answer your questions.

http://www.knivesaustralia.com.au/akc-homepage.html

The above Addy will get you in contact with them.

Don't get sucked in to buying all the bells and whistles at the start. All you need is a few files , wet and dry sand paper and a lot of elbow grease.

My first knife was made with files and a hand drill for the handle pin holes.

Hope this info helps you get started. All the best with your project and don't forget to post pics when it's finished.