A2 tool steel

[Hillbilly81]

Can anybody give me any thoughts/advice/info on A2 tool steel?  Is this steel good for making knives and how easy would the steel be to work (being a beginner)?  Thank you for any info.

[beetlebailey1977]

I have turned and milled A2 a lot...I have never made a knife with it.  It should make a great knife.  You do not quench it.  It is air hardened steel.  Thats why it readily work hardens when turning or milling and you get it hot.

[longbowman]

I just made a couple of knives from A-2.  Just make sure you get it up to heat before allowing it to air harden or you'll have a soft knife.  The problem I've seen working with tool steel is that you really need proper heat treating in controlled furnaces to get the hardness close to what you want.  I like working with good files better.

[bendbig]

I have made a few from A-2 as we have an oven at work the edges have held up very well. Just work the steel slowly during any cutting/grinding processes while shaping your knife. I have learned to get your edge fairly sharp before heat treating as it will cut down on the sharpening time after the hardening process.

[Lin Rhea]

A2 is good steel. You have to think backwards to work it. Lin

[Hillbilly81]

Thank you for all the feedback. I appreciate it.

[David Ricke]

I have made several knives out of A-2. This steel is a very good edge holder but will stain an rust as with most carbon steels. I believe you can quench in oil if you wish. I put it in front of a fan and then between two haevy bars of steel.  Good luck and happy new year.  Knifemaker

[Hillbilly81]

Anybody know where I might be able to get my hands on some of this A2 steel?  I appreciate it!

[beetlebailey1977]

I think McMaster Carr sells it in flat bar.

[OconeeDan]

Lin, think backwards?  Please explain.
Thanks, Dan

[Lin Rhea]

Dan,
    It's one my hillbilly ways of saying what I mean. A2 is, as you probably know, an air hardening steel as opposed to oil hardening. By far, most simple steels we knife makers forge and heat treat are oil hardening. To work 1084 (oil hardening steel), for instance, we would forge, normalize, and in most cases, edge harden in oil. With A2 you , more or less, anneal the whole blade, then heat the edge only and let air cool. Some place the annealed blade in oil, with only the cutting edge expose, heat the edge with a torch and let it air cool.
  It's the way I picture it in my mind. With 1084, the blade is out of the oil with the edge in and with A2 the blade is in the oil with the edge out. Think backwards. See? I told you it was hillbilly.  

[guzzi2000]

Bark River uses it in their knives.

[Roy Steele]

I get of my alot of things Ineed from JANTZ.I've gotten A2 from them.They have just about any steel you need.
   WWW.KNIKEMAKING.COM

[OconeeDan]

I see, the blind man said, as he picked up his hammer and saw.
Thanks!  Dan

[TheBigRedArcher]

Southerntoolsteel.com has great prices on steel and they sell A2.

TBRA

[amar911]

The web address for Jantz supply is  www.knifemaking.com

Allan