There are no hard and fast rules about what steels may be used in making pattern welded steel. The intended use of the end product, as well as what aesthetic the artist is going for will help you choose the most appropriate steels for a given project. See the steel selection section for more discussion on this.
As most pattern welding is used in knife making, we will be discussing mostly high carbon steels. However, in the interest of being complete, some lower carbon steel that have been used by many makers over the years will also be included.
This section contains information on some of the steels more commonly used in pattern welding.
I have just become interested in blacksmithing in general and pattern welding more specificly.I have just completed building my own forge but have yet to try it out as I have not yet located a coal/ coke source in my barea. I am aware of mail order sources though.. Right now however, I am interested in fiidentifying and locating the correct steel to make high quality blades. Perhaps you can help? At any rate, thank you for your time.
Kimball
Kimball,
Well, it depends somewhat on where you are located. If you’re here in the US, I highly recommend both Aldo Bruno and Kelly Cupples (listed in the suppliers section) as steel suppliers. They will both treat you very well and ship you anything you need.
If you don’t have a local source for coal (and in blacksmithing you need to be somewhat picky about what coal you use) you could go the way of charcoal as a fuel. If you can find a good source of scrap wood, with a little practice you can make your own excellent forging fuel. I personally use Propane as I feel it’s more easily controllable for pattern welding and also readily available pretty much everywhere.
If you drop me an email letting me know more specifically where you are I may be able to help you locate some resources in your area.
-d