Newbie

Hello all.

I mostly a woodcarver and jeweler, but have made a variety of bent blades / hook knives, straight knives, adzes, and engraving and repousse tools over the years, mostly out of whatever junk hadn't completely rusted away on the side of roads. I'd used old bandsaw mill blades (L6? or 15n20?) old files (W1?) and car/skidoo spring steel (5160?) with a variety of results - using everything from a woodstove, to a pile of charcoal briquettes and a hair drier.... I was even given a small forge at one point, but someone stole it.

I only recently started to actually buy nice shiny new steel, and have made some repousse tools, but also want to make some better bent blades/hook knives - the Northwest Coast Native style, which I use to make a living. My good friend Mike had passed away, who owned Preferred Edge tools, and we often talked about tool making, and now it's time for me to learn how to do it properly myself.

I'll be looking to all of you for advice, and especially for a good steel supplier. I'd just come across the Canadian Knifemaker Supply, but am also looking for consistent supply of L6 so I can standardize a heat treatment process.

I just bought a 6"x6" Richards floor scraper blade and made a test blade, which seemed to work really well. I don't know what kind of steel it is, but put an Anglophone-call into the head office (wish I could speak French) to ask them there. Anyone out there know what those are made of?