I would steer clear of files if I were you. They're often more trouble than they're worth. Leaf springs are fine as a material, but they're too big to make anything smaller than, say, a kukuri. See if you can get a hold of any large coil springs; it's alot easier to work with round stock. Otherwise, you might consider using an old chisel. I suppose the most important thing to consider aside from your starting material is your grinding apparatus. What do you plan to use?

Are you planning to forge or to do stock reduction?

An *old* file of good quality would work, but many newer ones have steel that is too exotic for simple methods - or are just plain junk steel. My very first attempt at knife forging was with a modern imported file. It fell apart in the forge. Red-shortness is a pain! I was later able to make a servicable blade from a rusty old Nicholson file (vintage circa 1950's).

If you can find some industrial bandsaw material, that would likely be good - much of it is L6, 1095, or 15N20. I was able to score a few feet about 1.5" wide a couple years back from a buddy who worked in a fab shop.

el_tortugo,

Double - edged is more difficult, especially if you want a perect, matching ridge or fuller and both sides. You may want to start with a single - edged project fisrt.

Old files and leaf spring are both good for making knives, just anneal them well and pay close attentiion for stress damage ( which isn't always visable to the naked eye... a jewelers loupe helps, but isn't perfect either).

Modern coil springs also work, but many are an 4160, which isn't the greatest. Bearing races work really well, but the alloy 52100 needs to be worked at a very high temp or it gets ugly fast and even at the above critical point it is still hard to move.

Maybe the easiest way to insure getting good steel is to by new stock..... 1095 and 5160 both majke very goood knives and are rather easy to work. the 560 is a bit more rust resistent due to the solution hardnening inherent in the alloy, and also a bit more expensive. 1095 is just strait high carbon steel. Another alloy which is good is 15n20, basically 1075 stell with a whole lot of nickle, is pretty rust resistent and moves easily.

Generaly speaking, sans a variable or two, the more difficult the steel moves under the hammer, the harder it will become through heat treating. This is not always true, depending on the alloy, but if you stay away from re bar and "mystry metals", it is a good general assumption. Remeber if you get a knife blade realy hard, it will hold an edge very well, but be very hard to sharpen. If you get them too hard, chipping and breaking are possibilities.

Last, if you are just startiing out, really try to minimize you relience on machines.... you skills will grow much faster if you are not think... " Well I can fix this part on the grinder and that that of with a cut off tool...."

Speed safely and good luck
Quinn