# Making knife from Galvanized steel. Any good?



## bowtech_john (Apr 19, 2008)

Galvanized steel is just a zinc coating on the steel. I wouldn't use it. 
To work with steel thick as a tracker knife should be, you should get some tools. A portable grinder would really help. And a vise. Starting out with a high carbon piece of steel is pretty important too!


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## sagitarius (Sep 11, 2007)

I know very little about types steel.

But, One of my cousins is a welder and told me once that welding galvanized releases some chemicals that can make you quite sick. 

So, I would look into it before I went heating up and working with it a lot.


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## 82ndArcher07 (Aug 29, 2009)

sagitarius said:


> I know very little about types steel.
> 
> But, One of my cousins is a welder and told me once that welding galvanized releases some chemicals that can make you quite sick.
> 
> So, I would look into it before I went heating up and working with it a lot.


Like bit too late, I tryed to cut the steel with a belt hack saw. Spent a good hour cutting and now im sick to my stomach and benched in the living room. 
Not going to try that again


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## 82ndArcher07 (Aug 29, 2009)

Were can I buy the high carbon steel your talking about? Lowes or homedepot?


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## Archeroni (Oct 3, 2008)

bowtech_john said:


> Galvanized steel is just a zinc coating on the steel.......


As far as I know galvanzing does not change the properties of steel. bt_john is correct, it is just a zinc coating on the steel to help prevent rust.

If you use it to make a knife most, if not all, the coating will be gone once you are done cutting, grinding and polishing. If it is high carbon steel to start with sand off the coating on a belt sander then go to work.


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## amcardon (Mar 17, 2009)

82ndArcher07 said:


> Were can I buy the high carbon steel your talking about? Lowes or homedepot?


I would not use galvanized at all, no exceptions... You can get high carbon steel online at any knifemaker website, look on the for sale forums for knifemakers at a local machine shop, etc... 

You are most likely going to need to send it out for heat treat unless you have a forge. Check out all the info over on BladeForums in the Bladesmith subforum for some input. 

There have been lots of threads giving info on knife making to guys getting into it, do a quick search and I'm sure you'll be able to have a lot of your questions answered.


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## rjd (Dec 3, 2005)

When the galv. process is down the coating is bonded to the metal. The bath of zinc is kept at 815 to 850 degrees. It is only a couple of mils. thick. When you heat the metal back up through grinding or torch work you burn this coating off. In the coating depending on which galvenizer did it there is lead in the zinc.Plus a lot of other heavy metals. This is why it is not to be used where direct contact with food could happen. I work in a plant that does galvenizing we have blod work done at various times.


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## recurve fan (Oct 20, 2007)

I agree with Amcardon. You want to go with known steel I made a tracker type knife for a guy out of 440-c that I got from texas knife makers supply and they also do all my heatreating its around 10$ for heat treat + shiping there and back and the steel is not that spendy you can get 3/16x1-1/2x12 for 13.95 maybe cheaper if you look around it would just suck to put in all the work of making a knife out of poor steel just to end up with cool paper weight hope this helps and please post pics when your done


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## bowtech_john (Apr 19, 2008)

82ndArcher07 said:


> Were can I buy the high carbon steel your talking about? Lowes or homedepot?


A cheap source of Quality steel is a leaf spring from a car, that's where a portable grinder comes in handy, you will need someone with a forge though to treat the steel after working it.


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## z9481 (Oct 9, 2009)

*Steel*

I have made 3 knives from leaf springs. I purchased about 50lbs for about $20. You will not find this at home depot. stainless and tool steel (a2) is very expensive. There are different types of steel used for different car manufacturers. I used old chevy leafs, 1065 steel. High carbon content without being brittle. you have to aneal (soften) it before you hammer it, or it will crack. Its best to keep it red while hammering. it makes awsome knives. you can also used old files.


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## bucksnortinted (Aug 24, 2006)

rjd said:


> When the galv. process is down the coating is bonded to the metal. The bath of zinc is kept at 815 to 850 degrees. It is only a couple of mils. thick. When you heat the metal back up through grinding or torch work you burn this coating off. In the coating depending on which galvenizer did it there is lead in the zinc.Plus a lot of other heavy metals. This is why it is not to be used where direct contact with food could happen. I work in a plant that does galvenizing we have blod work done at various times.


*very good statement*,all galvanizing is a rust prohibiter,should not have any heat put on it at all you can get very very sick from the fumes from grinding,welding,or sanding on it.
i have seen people take old refrigerator racks that were galvinized and use them for racks over a fire for a grill to cook food on,*don't do it*,you can get some horrible reactions from it,one bad sign is getting the cold chills
from the fumes


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## Barry Portugal (Dec 23, 2007)

Whilst not a cure and not to be used as a replacement for proper ventilation! I always kept lots of milk handy when I was welding Galvanized metal. Drinking that certainly helped to remove the feelings of sickness, I did hear once that the fumes put Lead/Zinc into your body and milk helps remove it to some degree! Hope this helps.


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