# Knife blade blanks



## sunnybob (23 Jun 2020)

A while back some one posted links to knife blade blank suppliers. Of course, I've lost the links :roll: (hammer) 

I'm looking for a wider than normal blank, 50 mm wide. Fairly long but width is the most important one. Not necessarily damascus, just good carbon steel.


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## Harbo (23 Jun 2020)

Brisa from Finland 

Rod


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## sunnybob (23 Jun 2020)

Theyre way above my pension limits.150 quid by the time it gets to me, and before I put a file to it. Any cheaper available? or do I have to go get a car leaf spring?


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## Sideways (23 Jun 2020)

https://www.thegoodstuffshop.dk/l/Knivbygning

Scandi style blades so that you can concentrate on the handles and sheaths.


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## Sideways (23 Jun 2020)

I assume you're looking for an oil hardening tool steel ?
Shape the blade, heat then oil quench, polish then final sharpening.
There is lots of choice of suitable steels. 
O1 is one of many. I'd be surprised if you don't have something available locally. Cromwell used to carry a variety and the cost was modest, even in widths of 100mm plus.

https://www.metalsupermarkets.co.uk/met ... -steel-o1/

The harder problem will be sourcing some soft firebricks to improvise a forge to heat it up in and cutting the end off an old fire extinguisher to make a quench tank


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## sunnybob (23 Jun 2020)

Sideways":3g0sfudc said:


> https://www.thegoodstuffshop.dk/l/Knivbygning
> 
> Scandi style blades so that you can concentrate on the handles and sheaths.



This lot is also well past a 100 by the time I get one to me.
I'm after the opposite. I want to play with the steel, plain, flat, cheap :lol:


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## Trainee neophyte (23 Jun 2020)

Truck spring steel? Would your local steel man cut it out for you? We know you are good with diagrams and hand waving...


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## Trevanion (23 Jun 2020)

I buy Silver Steel rods and O1 gauge plate from GFS, who also have a knife supply section of the site:

https://www.gfsknifesupplies.com/

You'd have to shape the knife yourself from the piece of steel and I'm not sure if they deliver to Cyprus but worth a shot?


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## --Tom-- (23 Jun 2020)

What sort of knife, and what are the plans? 

If you’re after a heat treated blank to grind your own bevels on, I could knock one up in the next week or two (once the spark has connected up the workshop)


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## sunnybob (23 Jun 2020)

That gfs knife supplies is the bees knees. amazing variety and acceptable prices. =D> =D> Thanks for that link.

Tom, very generous offer, but I dont work to plans :shock: :roll: and I want to play with this from scratch.
I've made several wooden knives and swords, time to make a real one.

I have no forge or other specialised knife making equipment other than assorted sanders and a bench grinder, so this might be a new hobby, or it might be a very large pile of iron filings when I'm done 8) 
The last time I used a forge the Beatles were still only famous in Liverpool, so who knows what might turn up. =D> =D> =D> 
Blame this all on Doug "it will kill" Mercaida =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## sunnybob (23 Jun 2020)

Well the deed is done.
A half metre of 8670 is starting on its journey from yorkshire to cyprus. =D> 
Dont hold your breath though, it will be autumn before I will have it and be able to start it. So you will have all forgotten about and I wont have to embarrass myself with a show and tell. 8) 8)


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## Trevanion (23 Jun 2020)

sunnybob":1912etjo said:


> So you will have all forgotten about and I wont have to embarrass myself with a show and tell. 8) 8)



I won't Bob, you can count on it


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## novocaine (23 Jun 2020)

For blanks rather than steel ive bought fron here a few times. 

https://www.heinnie.com/knives-and-tools


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## --Tom-- (23 Jun 2020)

No worries, i wasn’t sure it was just a sheet of steel you were after, was guessing you wanted it a few more steps along. GFS are a great supplier, so you’re sorted there.


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## sunnybob (24 Jun 2020)

The heinne site seems to be finished shapes and edges, just add wood and sharpen.
Although the prices are surprisingly low, I want more than that. I want to be able to say "I made this" and be as truthful as possible.
My thoughts are towards an oversized bowie (nah, THIS is a knife) as I've always had a fondness for it and I dont want anything fiddly or too demanding for the trial run. :roll: 
When I was a teenager I had a green river knife, but that disappeared in mysterious circumstances. I have some smaller knives but nothing out of the ordinary.


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## novocaine (24 Jun 2020)

I shall read your post properly next time. 

got an old table saw/circular saw blade laying around? grab your grinder and crack on, you can get 2 decent full tang bowie style blades (because a real bowie isn't a full tang and it will be a bit thinner at the spine) and 5 or 6 smaller blades out of a 10" blade with a bit of careful cutting. 
no heat treating though, it's grinder cutting rather than saw if you have a play with this route.

save you having to wait for an expensive bit of steel to mess up and at least and you can get to grips with grinding cheeks and bevels etc. 

I did build a bowie from HH, was dirt cheap and was fine for practice, I've also put a few of their folding knife kits together. all goodish quality, obviously not super high end but good enough and the bowie is still put to good use in the garden.


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## sunnybob (24 Jun 2020)

Most likely me being unfamiliar with the nomenclature.
I'm already coming across "tech" stuff regarding heat treating that is floating way over my head. :roll: 

But again, this a "playtime" idea, not going to get too deep into this, I cant afford to re-equip the workshop. (hammer) (hammer) 

And not stupid expensive, 500 mm x 5,5 mm x 65 mm at under 30 quid delivered to the UK for my summer visitors to bring over.


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## Chris152 (24 Jun 2020)

Will you do a wip of the knife, SB? My lad wants to do the same - we got a blank from Heinnie last year and put a handle on, and recently bought a set of 3 throwing knives from them for £32 which i think was a bargain, but he's keen to start with something more basic and be more in control of the shape. I don't want it to start too basic or it'll be too much work/ kit, and I don't really know where to start with that.


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## sunnybob (24 Jun 2020)

Chris, I am really carp with WIP's because I dont have a plan and everything I make develops during the process. So I dont know if its any good untill its finished, by which time several stages have not been photographed.

But I will take some pics. Dont get too anticipated though, the steel wont even get to me till august, when all my grandkids arrive for their FIVE weeks holidays :roll: :roll: So September is the earliest I will have any progress.
But shaping a piece of steel is easy, cover it with masking tape. Draw on the tape the shape you want. Cut and grind to shape. Then fine grinding and the handle. 8) 8) 
The only difficult bit will be the hardening and tempering


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## BHwoodworking (25 Jun 2020)

looking forward to a wip


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## Racers (27 Jun 2020)

Nice one Bob

I have a large kitchen knife ready to harden, need to fire the BBQ up and get it hardened.

It will be the next one up in my avatar.

Pete


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## sunnybob (28 Jun 2020)

The steel has completed its first journey leg. Its at my daughters waiting to come over next month. Shes not impressed that I've just removed a couple kilos of her luggage allowance (hammer) 
We are hoping to time it right as the travel ban is lifted. But at the moment Cyprus is still not allowing UK flights in, and I have to admit the daily crowd scenes on the news is not helping the UK's case one little bit. :roll:


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