Rebar Steel

[nilo52]

I am trying to find out if the old rebar rods I have can be used to make any thing like knives and strikers Etc. I have searched the archives and I was unable to obtain any info on this subject. This could be due to my inability to use the correct search words,or, there just wasn't any. I did find a bewildering and contradictory info regarding quench techniques and the "best" kind of steel to use however. It seems that old leaf springs,files,Etc could be used. Due to my lack of funds in the currant economy I would like to do this as cheaply as possible. Any help would be greatly welcomed.
A novice would be blacksmith,
nilo52 :idunno: :redface:

 

[rich pierce]

Rebar does not have sufficient carbon for hardening for tools.

 

[LaBonte]

Rich - actually there is a high carbon version of rebar that does. Knifemaker Ray Richard www.hawknknives.com has made many knives using it - I think it's known as grade 60 used in commercial building??, but you can email Ray via his site and he can tell you for sure.

To test what you have to see if it may harden up - forge to about a 1/4" thick. Heat up to red hot and quench in water (yes water in this case). Once cool - put in a vice and do a snap test - IF it breaks cleanly with a quick snap rather than bending even a little bit first it should harden up enough.

 

[buffcreekforge]

If you are just getting salvaged rebar, chances are it will not be of the right kind of steel. I have been blacksmithing for 25+ years and I will tell you that your best bet on the cheap is to find some old coil springs (old garage door springs work great) to make your strikers. I usually get them for free from someone who replaced a garage door or other project. I use an angle grinder to zip them into rings, just straighten, forge to shape, heat cycle them at least 3 times, and dunk in water. These make hot little strikers that work great. I have made hundreds of them over the years and they work great. A little larger coil spring makes passable knife blade material although it has to be drawn back after you temper it (I use oil to temper) to get a workable blade. I try to get the back of my blades "blue" and run "straw" out to the edge, then quench in oil or water when drawing back after tempering. Just my suggestion - I am sure others do things differently.

Your humble servant,

Black Dave

 

[BigDogg]

I would stay away from rebar for knife making. Better bets would be file steel (1095), saw blade steel (such as L6) and spring steels. They are easier to work, in most cases, and you can still find them at scrap yards and such for pretty cheap. Rebar is generally a poor grade of steel for anything other than reinforcing concrete. You can do a spark test to check for high carbon steels. Just look at the sparks that come off when you grind a test piece. Higher carbon steels will have little "sparklers" that shoot off from the main spark. ---*

 

[bwhoffman]

Butt in where I dont really belong....

"HC" stamped rail road spikes work pretty fair. They are suppossedly high carbon and hold an edge "OK" for scrap pile steel.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

black dave has it right.
rebar is cheaply made but actually is about med-carbon content. r/r spikes are a better choice for hawks/knives
if you can find a junkyard that has VW's in it the flat springs on the sides of the rear end make great knives. they can be a bas*@!& to remove though but well worth the effort.
also worn out files do great for patch knife and skinner as well as striker. very high carbon

 

[BigDogg]

RR spikes made for bridge ties can also be found sometimes. They are about 3 times the length of a normal spike...(And not very much fun driving with a spike maul, I might add!). :surrender:

 

[anvil1231]

Hc RR spikes are only about 35 points carbon there for would not be the best choice for knife steel. All though they will work if don't mind sharpening them alot. Hc rr spikes do make decent hawks and bag axes,still being a little low on the carbon even for that. Rebar made before mid 70's and marked grade 60 do make decent knives if you can find it. Anything made after that is to low carbon content for knives.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have found flat truck or automobile springs make good knife steel. Just build a large wood fire get a large bed of red hot coals. Throw the springs in the coal bed and rake more red hot coals over the spring, build more fire on top for one hour, let the fire burn out and the next day you will have annealed steel to work with. I prefer ford ranger or chevy s10 springs. :hmm: :hmm:

 

[bennypapa]

Grade 60 rebar means that it has 60,000 psi tensile strength. It is not a marker of carbon content but more a result of.

Most gr60 rebar that I have seen mill certification reports for has about .4% carbon.

About a 1040 steel equivalent.

Leaf springs are the best junk yard steel for knives. Coil springs if you want to do a lot of hot work getting them into the shape of a knife.

Files could be OK but do a test heat treat on it before making a knife. It could be crappy steel or case hardened. Waste of time to make a knife out of that.

OR buy some O-1. It isn't that expensive

 

[HAMMERSCHILD]

But dont shun any good steel source. Rebar and such is no good for anything that need an edge but can be used to makes cooking tools, andirons, candle stakes etc.
My blades steels come from a friend that has a commercial band saw mills and pawn shop files and drill bits. 12 inch Nicholson files for a buck a piece. Junk yards are gold mines( or were before the scrap prieces went sky high)

 

[Brasilikilt]

Take it from me, avoid files that are made in China, India, Taiwan etc.
These are made with softer steel an are only hard on the outside. They make an inferior blade if forged into a knife.
You want old worn out American files, also (those of English German and Swiss manufacture are excellent) and I stress WORN OUT, as I do not condone in normal circumstances, the act of destroying a useful tool to create another.

As others said, leaf and coil springs are good, easily worked steel for knife blades.
I bought a pair of old leaf spring assemblies still stacked up and bolted together for $5 from a crusty old dealer of junk car parts off the side of the road. This was an awesome score and has been my main source of blade steel for quite a while now...It simply requires keeping your eyes open.

Another idea is to go to car repair shops and ask them if they have any such steel.
It helps if you go to the shop where you normally take your car to get fixed as they already know you as a customer, and want to be nice in order to keep your business.
Other car parts such as gear shift rods, torsion bars, axles are also typically of good steel for blades.
Also the steel used for bed frames is also of surprisingly good quality.

Remember this in your scrounging ventures:
Bring a dozen doughnuts for the guys who work at the places with the juiciest scrap piles.

I have in the past been given a cold shoulder at various places because the owners/employees thought I was some drug-addict scrapper...When I mentioned the fact that I was a (beginning) blacksmith wanting some good steel to practice on...I could see the look on their face change dramatically, as if saying "I am a blacksmith" was some kind of magic spell.

If all else fails....these places sell their steel to the dealers for around 20 cents/lb
Offer to pay whatever they sell it for..$5 or $10 worth makes a lot of knives.