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Old bush hog blades
- Thread starter Jimmypop
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Anvil Head
Senior Member
They are usually mid range carbon steel so they won't shatter when they hit a rock. Most likely will not do well as a working knife even if you get the heattreat right. Be good for splitter mauls and wedges. Plus that's a lot of metal to move or grind just to get a so so knife.
Leaf springs have higher carbon content and often make good blades. But, not all are equal in quality or alloy configuration. Each one would need to be tested to see if it can be heattreated properly to make a decent blade. Also LS's are subjected to a lot of stress, nature of their occupation, so often are full of unseen stress fractures that only show up after they are forged or ground to blade shapes or thermal cycled. So you have to ask yourself - do you want to spend a lot of extra time and effort to see if they will make a good blade and hold up to use?
All that being said, yes I have made several fine knives from LS. They are good practice material for the smith as well to experiment techniques and process. Just be aware that some will be disappointing. If you are a beginner just learning I would suggest using a known steel to get the science and skill set worked out.
Leaf springs have higher carbon content and often make good blades. But, not all are equal in quality or alloy configuration. Each one would need to be tested to see if it can be heattreated properly to make a decent blade. Also LS's are subjected to a lot of stress, nature of their occupation, so often are full of unseen stress fractures that only show up after they are forged or ground to blade shapes or thermal cycled. So you have to ask yourself - do you want to spend a lot of extra time and effort to see if they will make a good blade and hold up to use?
All that being said, yes I have made several fine knives from LS. They are good practice material for the smith as well to experiment techniques and process. Just be aware that some will be disappointing. If you are a beginner just learning I would suggest using a known steel to get the science and skill set worked out.
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