Suggesting steel for an engraved dagger

[spectralcanine]

Hello, I am a beginner engraver, and so far I engraved on brass and sterling silver.

I practiced a tiny bit on some unknown piece of steel, and it really resisted, and any non-shallow cuts turned out really bad.

I want to create a dagger blade, engrave it, and then harden it.

Are there some suggested types of steel for this job?

Also, I have Lindsay HSS engraver bits (probably not the correct term).
Should I get carbide engravers for steel?

I attached an image listing the steel alloys I can actually get where I live.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Boomhower]

What you are looking for in blade steel is carbon content the higher the better
Most used in the blacksmithing I have seen is 1085,,,1095,,5160,,W1,,O2 ,,
Any of these will make a blade that will stay sharp and last forever
I listed them low to high the higher the carbon content the harder they are to work
If you are just making a wall hanger then you will want to get some cheaper steel
Do you have a forge and the tools to do all this. There is alot of knowledge that goes into making a good blade. It's like engraving your first few attempts will be good practice
I do alot of blacksmithing I like it. I will help you all I can
Do you have a good belt sander if not you will deff need one
Here is a photo of the first cable Damascus knife I done. This pic was before I etched it

 

[Boomhower]

This place here has just bout every thing you will need
http://usaknifemaker.com

 

[Boomhower]

There is a ton of knife making groups on Facebook that you can learn from

 

[spectralcanine]

I don't live in the USA, so I am pretty limited with the stuff I can get.

I don't have a forge, but I think I'll get by with the stuff I do have access to (I work as a goldsmith).

So, from the image I posted, the best I can get is 1045?

 

[Boomhower]

1045 wouldn't make a very strong blade at all if you plan to use it
If you are making a wall hanger you can get by with as cheap as you can get and you wouldn't have to harden it cuz low carbon steel does not get hard enough anyway

 

[DKanger]

You should be able to find something locally using this chart of commonly found scrap metals.

 

[Chujybear]

Dkranger. That is great information

 

[spectralcanine]

I just realized that W.NR 1.2510 is the equivalent of SAE 0-1, which I've seen someone suggesting on youtube, so I'll get that. It has 0.9-1.05% carbon, and doesn't deform when hardening, so I should be able to engrave in the soft form with no breaking issues (I know nothing about metals, but I think that's a thing?)

Does anyone have any experience with HSS vs Carbide engravers? I would really want to get Carbide if it's better, but I don't want to waste the money otherwise. Someone who has used both told me that the carbide really isn't worth the money for high metals like silver, but maybe it does for steel.

Thanks!

 

[Boomhower]

Yeah 0-1 tool steel is a very good steel one of the best
To anneal it you have to heat it to non magnetic then let it cool very slow 3 times to get it annealed. and 0-1 is hard to anneal to do it right it needs to be in a furnace with controlled cooling.

 

[Addertooth]

I suggest 1095, it is very easy to heat treat, and can be tempered in the kitchen oven. A very non-fussy steel which hold a good edge when hardened to Rockwell 58 on the C scale.

 

[D Fulwood]

Old files make decent knifes. Old crowbars, wrecking bars, automobile tire tools, lug wrenches, lawn mower blades work fairly well. Anything that was once a tool or some type of blade will work. To find if it is an Oil Quenching steel (Such as O-1) or a water quenching steel (such as W-2), heat it till a magnet fails to stick to it and quench it in oil. I use Peanut Oil, but any oil will work. After quenching, try to cut it with a file. If it is hard or impossible to cut then it is an oil quenching steel. If not extremely hard then try it again in water. If it hardens in water then it is a water quenching steel. If neither oil nor water will harden it, then the carbon content is too low to use for a blade. After hardening the finished blade it will be too brittle to safely use. You can take some of the stresses by heating it in a kitchen oven or toaster oven at about 500 degrees F. or so. If you polish the blade before "tempering" it in your oven, then you can watch it turn colors as it is heated. It will first turn a straw yellow color, then gold, then a purplish gold/brown. When it reaches that purple/brown color, remove it from the oven and let it cool. It will then be hard enough to hold a good cutting edge and still be soft enough to resist chipping or breaking in use.

If you are going to engrave it, it is best to engrave it before you harden and quench and temper it. The temper color can be easily removed with fine sandpaper.