Can you make knives out of files?

Making Your Own Knife Out of a File There’s nothing like finding that perfect knife with the right blade shape, handle size and original look that fits your predilection. While making knives from scratch can be a tedious process, making your own custom knife from an old file is not overly difficult.

Are old files good for making knives?

So to answer the question; Generally yes, a rasp can make a good knife blade. The metal can be hardened and the rasp is already 80% there in terms of shaping.

Can you cold forge a knife?

To practice cold forging prior to producing finished knives, he recommends intentionally cold forging steel until it cracks to have a better understanding of how much the steel can take. Cold reduction leads to an increase in hardness of the steel through an increase in dislocation density.

Is cold rolled steel good for knife making?

1095 forging steel is cold rolled & annealed with a bright finish which makes it perfect for forging, blades, tools & other parts. 1095 has a carbon content of . 95% which makes makes this a hard steel that will reduce the amount of wear that a blade will experience over time.

Do circular saw blades make good knives?

Yes. By nature of their mission they are of very good steel. I’ve made many an excellent fixed blade knife from them, razor sharp when I finish. I have a premium search for 10″ and 12″ saw blades or hopefully larger because of the quality of their steel..

Does cold forging increase hardness?

The tensile strength, yield strength and hardness were found to increase with the increase of cold forging percentage due to the energy stored in the material during cold forging.

At what temperature can you forge steel?

The typical forging temperature of steel is usually between 2150-2375 degrees Fahrenheit. It is one of the first things to know when learning how to forge a steel. A little more above this can cause the steel to melt, which is not suitable for forging. A lower temperature will also make it difficult to forge steel.

Is Titanium good for knives?

The biggest pro for titanium knives is that they are more corrosion resistant than steel. Reducing weight can help reduce strain during knife use. It is also good for applications where every ounce is important such as backpacking. Titanium is also harder.

Can cold rolled steel be hardened?

Tempering the steel has the effect of hardening the cold rolled steel while at the same time helping to avoid the brittleness inherent in a simple heat and quench operation. To temper the steel, you have to maintain a close watch on the temperature that the steel reaches.

What grade of steel are files made from?

Steel files are made from high carbon steel (1.0 to 1.25% carbon) and may be through hardened or case hardened.

Are Nicholson files good for knives?

Well-Known Member. Nicholson files will make decent blades if you can anneal them and then re-harden them properly. You can buy bar stock that is better suited to blade-making and already annealed for less money, though.

What is the difference between cold forging and hot forging?

Cold forging is a lot like hot forging except it is at or near room temperature. The lower temperature means that the steel is much stronger and it is much more difficult to forge. That also means the steel is more brittle and therefore more likely to crack during forging or rolling. The shape of the grains in the steel are changed through forging.

What happens to the steel when it is forged?

The lower temperature means that the steel is much stronger and it is much more difficult to forge. That also means the steel is more brittle and therefore more likely to crack during forging or rolling. The shape of the grains in the steel are changed through forging. You can read about what grains are in this article.

What does cold rolled steel look like?

Generally cold rolled steel has a bright, shiny surface free of scale. The steel is first “pickled,” run through an acid bath to remove scale, prior to cold rolling and the combination of those two processes gives the steel a very smooth finish.

What happens to the carbides when steel is cold rolled?

When the steel is cold rolled the carbides are more or less unaffected, but the grains are elongated and the dislocation density is increased, which can be seen in the image below because the “image quality” of the grains is poorer: