I'm getting ready to put new blades on my lawn mower. I really hate waste and am wondering if the old blades would make good knives. :hmm: I know the steel is really tough and springy. Wat say the jury?
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lawn mower blade knives?
- Thread starter Rifleman1776
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I've seen several.
Some nice ones that folks have taken the time to work and finish,, and some manure where the guy just uses a bench grinder too shape and wire wheel to take the dirt/paint off.
Yes,, that metal can make a nice knife.
Some nice ones that folks have taken the time to work and finish,, and some manure where the guy just uses a bench grinder too shape and wire wheel to take the dirt/paint off.
Yes,, that metal can make a nice knife.
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Don't do it. Unless you can find a blade from the 60's or 70's. Many modern LM blades are low carbon steel, or at least lower than ideal. Another case of big brother watching out for you. They believe it better for a blade to bend or dent rather than chip and throw pieces out the side. Good blade steel is too cheap to try and cut corners by sacrificing on the quality of the steel, and possibly wasting your time making a blade that may only give OK performance or even less. Plus, if you don't know what steel you have, you may not be able to heat treat it correctly. That said, that is just my opinion, and you can, of course, do as you want.
I have made a few knives from mower blades. Do a grinding spark test to see if the steel contains enough carbon. Forge the blade into shape then heat treat. Like Wick says some blades are good, others not so good.
"That's second blow near took his head right off"bubba.50 said:
"Mmhmm"
palonghunter
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It depends on what you're aiming to make. I used an old mower blade to make a big (~13" blade) chopper, and it worked alright for that. I'm not sure I'd use it to make a fine cutting instrument. IMO, there are better options to scrounge blade material (files, saw blades, etc).
My ground is rough and rocky. We grow a lot of new rocks every spring and my mower is very good at finding them? :shocked2:
Thanks for the advice. I don't have a forge, was going to use my bench grinder :redface: and a 1" belt grinder. When they come off I'll take a look and decide.
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Auto springs run from 1095 steel up through 5160. 6150, and probably a dozen or so others. Can you tell one from another? Different steels, often different heat treat.
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Another problem with auto/truck springs is that they often have micro cracking that shows up after you think you're finished with an heirloom quality knife. There is no cure for that, except to start over again.
zimmerstutzen
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Lately, I have come upon some old carbon steel cleavers at yard sales and such. I would think generally, an old cleaver would be better suited for knives. But I am no metallurgy specialist. Many years ago, I worked my butt off making what I thought would be a great knife. It started out with saw blade steel from a heavy cross cut saw. It looked great but despite several efforts to heat treat and temper, just couldn't do the job. Wasted effort other than to learn the hard way.
ohio ramrod
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Good steel can make a good knife. Junk steel will make a junk knife. Some lawn mower blades are made of good steel and some are made from Chinese junk. So it just depends on the quality of the steel and your work. :idunno: :idunno:
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Yep. Sometime in the early 90's, I made a fancy dressed up Bowie from a Toyota truck spring. My first using a spring. After it was all finished, there was a very fine crack in the edge where the belly begins. This crack was not visible until after the knife was finished. Had to look really close even then. The owner found it first. That was the first and last auto spring for me.
Wick Ellerbe said:
The American Bladesmith Association masters who teach at the site of James Black's original shop at Old Washinton, Arkansas (almost) exclusively use truck spring steel. They buy the steel, not used springs.
A friend of mine (now pass on), has made many of them for throwing. I have one and it is the best throwing knife I ever had. The blades are very hard and never seen one bend or break.
ohio ramrod said:
They are just blades I bought at a mower shop. I don't know if they from China or Geneva, Florida. :wink:
p.s. I do know they can take a whack and not crack. I have hit some large rocks with them.
Go to Admiral Steel's website and buy a piece of 1075 or 5160 to make your knife. Both of these steels are cheap and will make an excellent knife plus, they are very easy to heat treat.
My guess is most lawn mower blades today are mild steel with a deep case hardening. This gives them the ability to take impacts and not shatter, but if you try to make one into a knife you will likely grind right through the high carbon layer and only have a soft, mild steel core left.
My guess is most lawn mower blades today are mild steel with a deep case hardening. This gives them the ability to take impacts and not shatter, but if you try to make one into a knife you will likely grind right through the high carbon layer and only have a soft, mild steel core left.
If you are trying to make a small thin blade knife and you are starting with a thick lawn mower blade then you have a LOT of grinding ahead of you :hmm: . Not only a lot of time but you will go through a pile of 1" sanding belts & maybe a gringing wheel or two which equates to a LOT of money :shocked2: . But if you have nothing better to do then "knock yourself out" :haha: .
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