All About Pocket Knives

Hi. New here, although I used to visit years ago (early 2000s) under a different name I can't remember. I've made a few fairly simple fixed blades, typically out of O-1 tool steel. Done my own heat treatment, although I don't know if I ever did it correctly. The knives worked, and took pretty good edges, and it was fun.

My question: My 8 year old son decided he wanted to make his own knife. I dug out the old stuff I had, and he picked a steel. Turns out we've been grinding on a piece of 416 stainless bar stock. It's his first attempt, and the stuff is soft enough to be easy to grind. I really don't expect this to be a big using knife, but I don't know a thing about 416. Is it a ridiculous choice for a knife steel? It's giving him practice, and we're learning together, which is the big thing. But I know it's not 440C or better. I have a feeling we're wasting our time. Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to AAPK.
I see no one has answered you yet, probably because not many guys here heat treat their own steels & those who do are busy making knives.

I did a Bing search and found a little info, you may have done as much.
I found that 416 is very machinable but not very corrosion resistant, but you can heat treat it.
If tempered and hardened it can get up to 293-352 on the Brinell hardness scale. That translates to a hardness of about 31 on the Rockwell C scale.

I am not a blade maker, but I do repair knives. I believe I have some 416 that I bought as liner material.

You might want to do more checking, but I would think it would be hard enough to be used at the dinner table, though probably not a great skinning knife.

All is not lost, he had the experience of working with a steel that is easy to machine. Probably a good thing for a lad's first knife making experience. He can always finish it out as an art piece.
The skills he developed & used making this knife will still be there when he makes a knife out of tougher steel.
Also you and he had the great experience of working together on a project, and some things are more important than the edge retention!

Dale,

Thank you very much for your reply. I suspected as much about the 416. And I'm by no means an expert at heat treating my own steel. I've never had a knife I've done Rockwell tested, so I can only go by useability, and say that most will skin a deer and still be sharp enough to go again. I'm no Loveless or Dozier, and they're a long way from a Bark River.

He and I have had a ball working on this, and yes, that's far more important. We're going to finish it out and I'll send it somewhere (do you have a recommendation?) for heat treatment. He's chosen some red and black Dymondwood that Texas Knifemakers Supply showed on their site for his handles. We're not to that point yet, but we'll use brass pins, and do that ourselves too. He's really into this, so I'm excited to see how it comes out. I've got to say, so far it looks an awful lot like a knife!

My oldest is 16, and he just snatched my last bar of tool steel and started on one for himself. Looks like I'M out of the knife-making business, but I can supervise anyway.

Thanks again. I've been a knife junkie all my life, and like any addiction, the more I expose myself, the more it grows.

Casey