All About Pocket Knives

I am wondering about scavenged steel in knives. Nope, not the stupid and totally inappropriate materials for blade steel used on Forged in Fire, but things such as truck leaf springs and files. Reason being, is that in the farm junk pile, there are more than a few complete truck springs, and I have a large (12") vintage Nicholson Black Diamond file that I feel would be a good choice. Besides, it's so dull, I can no longer use it as a file.

I have seen two sides of this argument. I have heard that truck springs, especially used ones, are a bad idea due to microscopic cracking in the metal. Files, due to the fact that newer ones are not O1. But, I've seen lots on the contrary. For example, Anza seems to exclusively use files to make their knives. Ball bearings seem to also be a good idea--I have a large carbon steel one set aside too.

So, what's everyone's takes on scavenged steel here? While I am still very seriously considering the file, I myself am leaning more towards just buying a bar of 1095 and calling it a day.

You're kind of rolling the dice on using unknown steel. Investing hours and hours of work, then after heat treating, not knowing what you will get. Think I would go with the 1095.

I have used old masonry saw blades to make knife blades......

I'm sure someone will frown upon me for it, but I don't care. I have fun making knives..... That's about all that really matters to me.

If somebody wants to test my knives.... TOO BAD.... you can't BUY ANY of the ones that I have made.

BUT, if you appreciate WHAT I do and not whether my procedures are chemically correct, then I might just hand you a knife I made.

THAT is the way I see it.
To each his own.
HAVE FUN

Personally, I would expect a vehicle spring be about as good a steel as you could want. Regarding files, once when I was young I decided to make a knife out of a file. Here is what I figured out. Files are hardened about as hard as steel can be hardened. After all, the file has to cut other steels, right? What that means is that it is one heck of a job to grind down a file. I gave up. If I were trying the experiment again I would heat the file enough to take the temper out before I started working on it.

I got this plate steel from the old Northfield Cutlery site a few years ago.
I filed and stoned that one corner of it and it shined like a pewter dollar in a mud hole.
I thought it might be worth making fixed blades out of it but I don't know anything about that.

cody6268 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:31 pm I am wondering about scavenged steel in knives. . . such as truck leaf springs and files.

First my disclaimer, I have never forged a knife before; however, I have worked with metal and hardened steel in the past. I thought the forging process is to start with good quality steel and shape it by heating and beating into the blade style you want. Leaf springs are made of quality steel and forging will take out all the potential weak spots (as long as you aren't rushed by a clock like on the show Forged in Fire). With old files you need to take the temper out, then shape the blade then put a temper back on the steel. I'm sure there are other quality types of steel, but it might be a little more complicated to get the shape you out of something round.

Meridian_Mike wrote: ↑Tue Dec 17, 2019 3:00 pm I have used old masonry saw blades to make knife blades......

I'm sure someone will frown upon me for it, but I don't care. I have fun making knives..... That's about all that really matters to me.

If somebody wants to test my knives.... TOO BAD.... you can't BUY ANY of the ones that I have made.

BUT, if you appreciate WHAT I do and not whether my procedures are chemically correct, then I might just hand you a knife I made.

THAT is the way I see it.
To each his own.
HAVE FUN

I have a couple of knives made out of different types of saw blades, mostly out of saw mill blades. They’re good knives.

It’s a wonder that our ancestors in the 17-1800’s were able to cut anything having to rely on whatever steel the town blacksmith had on hand. No super steels, stainless, or exact alloys, shocking!

OP, I would think the leaf springs would be good stuff.

I've forged knives from old leaf springs and ground one or two from old files and a folder from an edging blade.I have no problem continuing but I make them for my own enjoyment, not to sell. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

There is nothing wrong with using "found" steel for blades IF you can identify what you have. I have access to spectrograph and x-ray procedures . Any time I find stashes of unknown metal it has paid off for me to ID them .
BTW, Black Diamond files are an excellent source of W2 steel. And no, Nickolson files are not O1.

Have made many knives from old files, but never any to sell. All in my personal collection, or gifted with disclaimers.

Leaf springs are much easier to work than coil springs, due to the nature of their hardened shape.
They can make some good knives when heat treated properly. When using unknown steel I like to test a few small pieces and work out a heat treat.

Some of the best steel I have ever had came from a harvester spring from the 1940s. Was from a local family farm. Have not found any steel that worked and hardened as good as these pieces.

Unknown steel is a gamble, but I have also had known steel, that I paid good money for, to crack in a quench.