Guide to Tool Steel for Knife Makers

Tool steel. What is it and why should knife makers be interested? Plenty of info here for machinists, fabricators, makers and home shop tinkerers, too!

More at:

Walter's Instagram: walterstactix
Tactix Armory Instagram: tactixarmory
Twitter: @WalterSorrells

[ChrisUhlik]

I love these distilled knowledge videos. Thanks for the practical summary of a complex topic.

[lapislignum]

"precision is made out of money" - love it!

[kutzbill]

I was a toolmaker and engineer for 42 years. I have done some screwing around with tool steels. A couple things I want to add if I may. One is about S-7. If you get it up to temp, and quench, you will have to draw it down some. I've tested on RC up to 72. Which means it will be too hard and very brittle.
I've never took a regular tool steel up that far.
We would either have a vacuum furnace or tool wrap the A-2. It can lose some elements if this isn't done.
Be careful of M-42 Cobalt. It will also get too hard and shatter on you.
Still the best advice you can get is to keep it simple, and enjoy what you do. I am very much a novice at making knifes, but I enjoy making stuff out of old crap. My Uncle started me out in Blacksmithing when I was 8. I've enjoyed my career and was very lucky to do what I did. I got to work with some very smart people. Now I want to hammer steel, and pass on anything I can.
Good video Mr. Sorrells, thank you for posting!
Smiles.

[derrikferguson]

Thanks for the great vids. They really are in a sweet spot for those wanting to expand their knowledge of steel and knives but not overwhelmingly technical.

[BigDog]

Walter I just want to say I appreciate your willingness to share tips & info. I live in N. Ireland & it's a nightmare getting good knife steels. I buy it all from England & even then not easy. So videos like this help me define my search. I'm retired so my brain hurts when I use it too much😂😂. Thanks again, Hugo Dale.

[briantw]

Wonderful video. Giving the basic rundown in a simple and straightforward way everyone can understand.

[timjackson]

Thank You Mr. Sorrells
One thing that might have thrown a wrench at me was not normalizing after forging. I normalized the next two and found better results in my grinding. Stopped fighting the cracking issues, hopefully.

[DoggoWillink]

For anyone who needs some beginner info on 1084, 1095 and W2, absolutely huge enormous wall of text below... I’m bored clearly, but also I think certain bits of info can make a big difference as they did for me.






1084 is the easiest of that group. It will harden in oil, and it doesn’t require any precision as far as soaking it. You just heat it up and quench it in canola oil (or whatever you have, however I’ve had good luck with heated canola oil, even with 1095). You can easily use 1084 with a small single burner forge, or even a torch I’d imagine.

1095 is a little trickier. 1095 is right on the line between water and oil hardening, it’s “hyper-eutectoid”. This steel needs to be quenched very quickly. I don’t mean that you need to run to the quench from the forge (be brisk though), it just means that it has to drop from around 1300-1400 F to 800-900 F or so in less than a second (google the exact numbers if interested, I forget tbh). This is why people recommend fast quench oil like “Parks 50”. However, water will of course work, and even preheated canola oil will work. I’ve done both.

W2 is similar to 1095 in the sense that it has to be quenched quickly. This is no surprise as it’s water hardening steel 2. You can use fast quench oil here, but the only time I’ve done it I’ve used salty (with some dish soap in it also) water, slightly heated. Until recently I haven’t had fast oil available. Keep in mind also that water is a much safer method in terms of your safety and the shop’s, so that’s another thing to consider. 50 quench oil has a low flashpoint, and isn’t exactly edible. It’s also not cheap or easy to obtain. So learning how to use water isn’t a bad idea. W2 I used specifically for a hamon, and it did in fact give a nicer one than the 1095 I have.

Keep in mind that with both of these steels it is recommended that you “soak” them, so they aren’t necessarily the easiest steels for just heating something up and quenching it. If you use a forge or similar method, getting it right isn’t as easy as 1084 for example.

Your best bet is to get used to the colors, use a magnet, and try to at least get the steel to soak at above critical for a minute or two. Get it to that nice red, non magnetic color where the darker “shadow” spots go away, and let it go a bit higher into a that slightly orange, solid red color and try to hold it there (don’t go hotter at this point if you can, if anything let it slowly go back down a tiny bit, but obviously you have to be around the 1450 area still when you quench). If you can pull this off without over heating it TOO much to start with, it will come out well. You don’t need an oven, it’s just easier.

I actually bought a pyrometer with a ceramic thermocouple that can read up to 2200 F, but I found that it doesn’t help all that much without a really good implementation of it. If you can check the temp to get a reference between temp and color, that’s a good use of it I think. However it’s difficult to set it up in a forge that’s open where air moves through and the flame itself touches or doesn’t touch the blade. I think making a small confined section out of steel to put the knife in, where you can then monitor that small area, may work.

Also with water leave your grind thick before heat treat, that’s a good way to attempt to avoid cracks and warps. You can safely grind a lot of material after hardening, as long as you have some good belts, a bucket of water, and patience. Don’t wear gloves... if the blade is warm you’ll feel it. Also high quality ceramic lower grit belts like 36 take off more without causing as much heat. This is important to keep in mind. You can take off a lot of steel without the blade even becoming hot to the touch.

[gorillafunk]

Great educational resource. Cheers & thanks. Many knifemakers put up vids but explain nothing. You explain in detail.
May your genorosity of time & effort be richly rewarded.

[BlueCollarDIY]

I love 01. I'd use it exclusively if it was more rust-resistant. Just look at it wrong and it starts to rust, but what an edge it holds!

[saartal]

I'm using O1 tool steel and I love it.
Thanks for sharing.

[jerzykowalczuk]

Thank you Walter for your clarification on steel kinds. Sixteen minutes of pure knowledge. Now it deliberately known why tools' steel is not perfect as some of the guys promote it on yt.

[SamlSchulze]

Thank you so much for helping me understand the steel i need for a tool I'm making.

[montelott]

Thanks Walter for solid info for the would be beginner knife maker.

[Lou.B]

Very helpful video for a complete lay person!
I've got a milk crate full of big dies (30-40#) from a diecutting company that I used to work for and I always wondered if it was suitable for a camp knife. Now I think it must be, so I'm going to hunt around for a local knife maker who might trade the steel for a knife. Wish me luck!

[leighchristopherson]

O1 can be sourced as unground barstock. You don't have to pay for the precision. I was on a site out of Calgary Alberta, that sold it. They sold a variety of thicknesses as well. 1/16", 1/8", 5/32", 3/16", and 1/4". By the foot.

[joelaut]

Very informative Walter. Nicely explained in a simple straightforward manner. Oh and love that “ harder than a bag of chicken livers” 😂😂😂

[ChopKnives]

Brilliant - thanks for that Walter. A great resource to keep coming back to.

[shonuffisthemaster]

my local steel place has drops (off cuts) O-1, A-2, D-2, etc at $1.25 / lb (they are typically around $10-13 / lb when bought full price). typically these have been in sizes and shapes.that stock removal guys wouldnt have much use for, but for smiths they are great. definatly worth checking out if your area has an open to the public steel supplier.

[andrewmcgibbon]

L6 steel was the steel that saw blades were made from before the advent of carbide tipped saw blades. When the lumber industry went to carbide tooling manufactures cut way back on making L6. There is a similar Chromium Nickel steel called 8670 that is available. I have only ever seen it in 3/16 stock so industry must have a very specific use for it. Kind of like you can only find 5160 in
.200 or .250. Retired Knife maker John Greco used to use 8670 on a lot of knives.