Guys, I've been lurkin and reading for awhile. The amount of info here is amazing. Anyway I'm diving in and have been gathering tools and supplies. I want to work with as few variables as possible and have these leaf springs. The chart says they should be 1086 or 5160, am I right? If so is this good material to start with for a rank newbie?

Tim,
      If it's spring steel, it will make a knife. I dont have any idea what steel it is though. They teach us at the bladsmith school how to take an unknown steel and make a good knife, but you said you pefer few variables. If so, I would suggest using known steel. Of course, once you get the heat treat down you can make several knives from your supply. Lin

Thanks Lin, I was looking at the junk steel chart and saw leaf springs listed as 1085, 5160. I've got a pile of them from a project truck an thought they would provide some material to get started with. Maybe by the time I get to the bottom of the pile I will have learned something. I've read through a heat treating thread several times and am trying to understand the process. It's actually starting to make some sense so I'm getting dangerous.

Holler if I can help Tim. Lin

By the time you get through a spring pack you will have learned a few things allright.Thats alot of steel.I like it alot for big knives,for little ones I usually use coil springs my neighbor gave me or files-I like free!!
Its a big hunk of steel to work with,but I have forged it small too.Just dont get in such a hurry that you hurt yourself.
Robert

Thanks guys, I do have some coil springs too, although they aren't that old, I think they were manufactured in the '90's

The coil springs my neighbor gave me were off a dodge caravan.I just get it straight enough to work with and cut it into about 3 foot lengths to make it more user freindly.