Willem

Old leaf springs are normally 5160 high carbon, newer ones EN24 or equivalent, and you are right - it is a good steel for knives. Main thing is to not over heat due to the relatively lowish carbon content (about .6) - but the heat treatment is very simple - heat in a fire or even with a gas torch until dull red going onto brighter red, test with a magnet - if the steel no longer holds the magnet, keep it at that temp for another minute or two, quench in old motor oil, stirring it around. Remove after about 5 or so seconds, and let it cool off in the air. Sand off the oil, stick it in the oven at between 360 and 425 F and watch it from time to time, it will go a golden yellow, then brown, purple and then deep blue - at this point remove it from the oven and let it cool off or quench in clean water, sand to shiny and repeat. And that's it. Apart from putting it together and sharpening it, of course..

You are right, I prefer the high carbon tool steels too - they are much easier to work with, normally more forgiving and IMHO, take a better edge than even the so called "super steels" -, but that is why I mentioned N690 - you can cryo that effectively just by sticking it in the deep freeze for 18 or so hours, and you can draw it out in the house oven - I run two cycles of an hour each at 360F (about 180C) with good results. Or you can temper/draw it with a normal LP gas flame - the colors are not as vivid as on the tool steels but it goes through the same color sequence. Heat to where it just wants to go over to silver and water quench - I do two cycles and get good results with that too. But in the end I think any of the steels you mentioned, and especially D2 is the answer.

whiteeugene, I am pretty sure the high carbon tool steel you use would work just fine if maintained properly, For stainless I would look at N690 or 440c - both are high carbon stainless, easy to Heat Treat, sharpen easily and well and will hold a good edge. I am just now making some tools for myself and I use whatever suitable off cuts I have laying around from profiling knives. Made a diamond awl today from N690 and a groover (?) from some O1 and both work fine.

Thanks Renee! Wow - archaeology, Arabic and belly dancing - sounds like the script for an Idiana Jones sequal Anyway, thanks again for the welcome - I am looking forward to learning a lot here. So far that has mainly consisted of finding out how very little I do know. I am going to have to take it one step at a time - there is so much beautiful work here that I would like to try my hand at that it can become overwhelming - you don't know where to start!

Thank you all again for the warm welcome. Now I need to study! I have been sampling here and there, looking at tools, their maintenance, kinds of leathers etc - and of course the work of some of the members here - and it is awesome! There is some really, really stunning stuff here! Rick, I think your approach is the right one - I need to start of with one item and research that fully - and the skills I pick up there can then be applied to the next item/step. It has been dormant in my system for a long time but I think the bug is waking up and going to bite hard..:D Matt, from what I have seen Scotland is a beautiful place too, but you have to convince her to experience Africa. I still deal with foreign visitors fairly regularly in the hunting industry (used to do a lot more of it before I got too busy with the knives) as a free lance professional hunter and they all say the same thing - there is a kind of primal feeling to Africa that they have not experienced anywhere else - and it stays with you - most I know have been back at least 3 times.

I forgot - up to now I have been using a small fixed blade with a sheep's foot type blade as well as a hobby/carpet knife for most of the cutting, so you can see how rudimentary my knowledge is - but I will obviously, and shortly, be making some custom utility, trimming and round knives for myself... :D

Hi Matt, Thanks for the welcome - you really must try to make it but you need to have some time - it is a wide open country and very diverse - from rain forests to deserts, some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world and plenty of space to travel. And lots of friendly people - especially out in the countryside. Aaron, thanks for the welcome and the kind words. Yep, we are out of town a ways, so everything has to be shipped in. We are fortunate in that we have some really good tanneries with plenty of variety. Big game hunting is also a major industry, so exotics are available - at a price of course. But not nearly what you guys pay. I have a friend over that side who does leather work for a living and he comes hunting over here every two years or so and according to him the leather, especially the exotics, is much cheaper over here than what you pay over there. I am quite close to a major ostrich farming area, but the industry is having major problems with bird flu, so skins are scarce and expensive at the moment, but once they get going again, that would be one to look out for. Stuff like veg tan, calf skin, upholstery leathers etc are freely available and relatively affordable. My main thing at the moment is to learn how to work it properly and to learn which leather to use for what application. I'd love to show some of my knives but don't want to break any forum rules or such so I am not too sure which forum to use for that?

Thank you all, I am sure I will be here quite often with some really noob questions! :D My leather work is very basic at the moment, so there is nothing really worth while to do pictures of, but I am very keen to learn, so hopefully in a few months time there will be some stuff to show and share.

A few more:

Hello Everyone, As my username shows, my name is Willem and I live in the Great Karoo region of South Africa. I am a knife maker by trade and as such I have to make the odd sheath/slip. As part of a continuous and constant striving to improve my product, I want to make more of the sheaths and slips myself and in order to do that I need to up the quality of my leather work substantially. As far as leatherwork is concerned, I am a babe in the woods but very keen to learn. I found this site while looking for tutorials and it looks like a very nice community, so I joined. I hope in time to be able to contribute something worth while in turn. In the meantime, a few pictures of where I live.