sword blanks from leaf springs

[Kerr the Walker]

This is an interesting article for those that might be interested.

http://www.livesteelarmor.com/how/warsword.html

[LANCER1562]

As an historic re-enactor, I will have to try that. I wonder how leaf spring steel compares to carbon steel for actual strength.

[Southern Breeze]

Great article. I've bookmarked it and will give it a try when the weather warms up

As an historic re-enactor, I will have to try that. I wonder how leaf spring steel compares to carbon steel for actual strength.

This should explain carbon steel-

Low Carbon: contains about .05-.30% carbon and of the three, because of the relative low cost of production, it is used extensively. Some sources of low carbon scrap are car bodies, some types of rebar, old nails, bolts, panels on railroad cars, railroad spikes, some types of angle iron, rolled pipe, some types of wire, nails, straps, hinges, tanks, drums, etc. It is manufactured in rolled bars, and the most common ones are round, flat or square bars of ¼ - 1". It is NOT temperable but may be forge welded.

Medium Carbon: contains roughly .30-.60% carbon. It is a harder material (harder to work and harder to find), and may be tempered. It is the most available temperable scrap metal. Some sources are springs, axles, torsion bars, gearshift bars, shock absorber bars, and, in general, anything that must stand up to a higher degree of stress and strain. It will not bend easily like mild steel. It is also used where tempering is required (e.g., auto/truck axles, auto/rail car springs, leaf springs, steering columns).

High Carbon: contains roughly .60-1.5% carbon, and usually has an alloy present. It is much harder than medium carbon, but is available in scrap sometimes as old pneumatic drill bits, old bulldozer blades, milling cutters, metal saws, cutting dies, threading dies, and files.

[JRB]

Nepalese kamis have been making khukuris out of leaf springs (often from old Mercedes) for many decades. It's good steel.

[Finn]

The Thais use leaf springs for their large knives (similar to machetes). They were much admired, but hard to come by.

[Howard Clark]

There is nothing wrong with the steel. However, there is a LOT of bad advice in that article. Beating on old leaf springs, COLD, is asking for trouble, and mostly just a lot of unnecessary work for you (and really bad for your hearing). The claim that no small outfit can do as well as a big auto corporation for heat treating is simply nonsense. You can do it that way, but it is by no means the best way.

I have no doubt that the author is sincere, but he is also confused about a great many things regarding steel and metallurgy.

I do make a living, making high performance swords, btw.

Nothing personal, just be aware that it is not the best information out there concerning the making of a sword. I highly recommend www.dfoggknives.com and www.britishblades.com/home/ as good sources on the web.

[auld argonian]

I have heard of making knives (and sghians) out of recycled leaf springs...interesting.

Best

AA

[Howard Clark]

In general, springs are made from steels that are quite suitable for making blades. Almost any spring will make a decent blade if heat treated appropriately. As springs, they are a bit soft for supreme edge holding, though they are "hard enough" to make a halfway decent knife without changing the hardness by heat treating.

Beating a cold spring flat, from it's arched condition is very difficult, and silly, and not good for the steel's microstructural condition.

[fluter]

Would an old sharpening steel be worth recycling? I'm looking at a Henckel steel, at least 20 years old, which has lost its --- whatever makes it hone, I suppose the surface pattern has worn down over the years.

[Southern Breeze]

There is nothing wrong with the steel. However, there is a LOT of bad advice in that article. Beating on old leaf springs, COLD, is asking for trouble, and mostly just a lot of unnecessary work for you (and really bad for your hearing). The claim that no small outfit can do as well as a big auto corporation for heat treating is simply nonsense. You can do it that way, but it is by no means the best way.

I have no doubt that the author is sincere, but he is also confused about a great many things regarding steel and metallurgy.

I do make a living, making high performance swords, btw.

Nothing personal, just be aware that it is not the best information out there concerning the making of a sword. I highly recommend www.dfoggknives.com and www.britishblades.com/home/ as good sources on the web.

I noticed the bad advice as well. One of my hobbies is blacksmithing, and as a result I notice any "bad advice". I've made several knives and trying a sword is on my list of things to try.
I've bookmarked those 2 sites you mentioned.