plow points as knife steel

[8PT]

Hi all.  This is my first post on the forum but have been lurking a little while.  I see various posts about different knife steels and was wondering if old plow points would forge into a blade.  I have several from my dads farming in my growing years .  These are mostly from the implements for a Farmall C 1947 version with maybe a few horse drawn plow points in the mix.  I have been thinking about trying making knives again as I tinkered with a few back in the late 70's and early 80's but only stock removal.  I am not likely to get into forging any time soon but am sure it would be a blast to do.  Does anyone think these old plows would make a knife?

Tommy

[Lin Rhea]

Yes. Plow points make a good blade. The steel is probably 1080 high carbon. Hard to beat.
Link for junkyard steels
  web page  

I mixed a plow point in with this blade. It is the darkest streaks running through the middle.
 
Lin

[8PT]

Thanks for the reply Lin.  That is good info to know.  I wonder if it would be possible to grind a useable knife out of one by stock removal only and not have to re heat treat it.  That is if I could find a section of one that was reasonably flat.  I would like to have a knife from one as a keepsake from my young, very lean but happy times as a young teenager and helping my Dad and brothers on the farm.  These old plows literally kept us alive.  I would also like to go back to the old farm place and try to locate one of the old osage fence posts that was around the place and use a piece for the handle.  I remember as a teenager trying to drive staples into these old posts that had been in the ground since around the 1870's and this was in the 1950's.  My goal was to try to get 1/4" penetration into these posts with a staple which I seldom did.

[Lin Rhea]

8pt,
      You can do that, but it wont make a very servicable knife. I understand the reason behind the materials, but this type of steel was made with forging and even the sharpening of the plow was done by heating the edge and hammering out the point with a hammer and anvil.
                            Lin

[8PT]

OK I think I understand that.  I always belive that a knife should be for using and not a decoration.  Maybe I can find someone that forges knives and do some trading of plow points for a forged knife.  Not likely but who knows.  I would think these old implements would be fairly plentiful and easy to locate.

Tommy

[8PT]

OK, if I just ground out a blade and then re heat treated it would it still not work?  I do not have access to a forge and anvil but I just remembered there is an electric heat treating oven stored out in an old barn on my place.  I will have to get it out and see if it still works and if I can figure out how to use it.  Best I remember it goes up to either 2000 or 2250 degrees F.  Old age and weak memory are a terrible combination. I should have known better than to start reading these knife forums.

Tommy

[Lin Rhea]

8 pt,
       Yes, that will work. You dont have to forge and you dont have to have a forge. I recommend that you only come to 1550 degrees in the oven. Do that a couple of times and on the third time quench the blade edge down in oil. There are many ways to quench. What are your plans? Lin

[8PT]

Man Lin, you don't know how much I appreciate your help on this.  Looks like I need to get to reading up on heat treating and such.  I drug the old oven out earlier this evening and plugged it up and it did heat.  I didn't have time to bring it to full temp as it seems very slow heating.  It took between 30 and 45 minutes to bring it to 500 degrees and stabilize.  That is as far as I had time to go.  The sticker on it says not to exceed 2000 degrees and the meter is graduated to 2500 but redlined at 2000. The oven is small, only about 8 1/2" X 10"X 6 1/2" tall.  That should handle anything I want to make since I don't like large knives.  I am not sure what you mean as far as my plans, whether heat treatment or style.  If you are asking about heat treatment that is something I have to study.  I will probably have to ask a lot of dumb questions before I finish.  As far as style, something like a simple drop point with around a 3 1/2" or so blade.  Thanks again.

Tommy

[Lin Rhea]

8pt,
      What are your heat treat plans?

    I would have the quenching oil in a flat pan and heated to about 140 degrees. Just heat a piece of rebar and stir the oil till its good and warm. It will sizzle and pop, and might even flame a little. Use a type that is not so flamable as to be dangerous.
     After the third heat and while the blade is still non magnetic, quench the edge in the oil, holding it in till the rest of the blade cools below 400 degrees. Test with a file. If the file skates and wont cut, it's hardened.
    Start drawing the temper in the oven at about 400 for 2 hours and if it's still too hard raise it 10 degrees and check again. Lin

[8PT]

After the first two heat cycles, how do I cool the blade?  Do I just take it out of the oven and let it air cool, turn the oven off and let it cool down more slowly or just what.  I need to try and figure out just how accurate the gauge is on this oven and get familiar with the control.  The knob is only marked 0 thru 100 which I take to be percent of full temperature.  This may take some experimenting.

Thanks Tommy