304 stainless

B

BD Blades

Well-Known Member
I did a few searches and came up empty so here is the question.

Can 304 stailess be used for a guard, or would there be some problems with working it or appearance. I am not very familar with many of the stainless alloys. I tried making a guard out of 416 and it was a lot of work. i do not have a mill, and this would be for a stick tang knife.
 
Some particulars about 304 stainless based on my experience with it. It is somewhat more scratch resistant than 416, it's harder on the abrasive belts but still easy enough to mirror polish. I have used it for bowie style guards and it's difficult to solder/braze to stainless blade stock although doable. To high carbon steel like 1095/1084 I don't know. 304 is definitely more work to file fit for a stick tang versus brass.
 
Personally I detest 300 series stainless for fittings..... compared to 416 it's twice as much time, trouble, and work to finish out. As an example......generally on 416, you can take it down to 800 grit and it will polish out (if that's what you desire), but with 304 it's going to require you to go to 1500-2000 before it won't show scratches after the final polish. I also find 300 series is tougher on tooling such as end mills, files, etc.

Very often I am asked by perspective JS applicants about fitting materials.....those who have chosen to use 300 stainless as fittings will generally not pass my critique....the 300 fittings always have "buffed over" scratches left in them. I actually had one individual where none of his knives passed my critique, he tore the knives down, changed to 416 and/or Nickel silver, and flew right through.

It's up to you, but I think it's putting yourself through a lot of extra work/effort for little gain.
 
Thanks guys!! I sure am glad I asked. I have not used it just noticed as I was looking for something else that Grainger sells it real cheap. Maybe I know why it is cheap now. I think given my experience level and tools I will stick to brass or nickel silver for now.
 
304 is great for what it's good for, but it is a bear to work, like Ed said. I'd venture to say that it'll stay better looking for longer than 416, but it'll take more than twice the time to get there. IT also eats drill bits for lunch because it work hardens quickly. I used it quite a bit when I first got going because it was cheap (free, actually), but it cost me more in extra time spent working than I'd have spent on 416.
 
Maybe I'm a bit late on this thread but, has anyone tried using 303 stainless for bolsters? I'd like to try it to see if it's polishes better than 416 since it is cheaper and more available. I know it machines much better than 304. Does anyone have experience with it?
 
I don't know about polishing, since I do very little of that, but I love 303, detest 304.

The difference is HUGE between the 2 materials.

303 is pleasant and easy to work, and 304 is terrible.

I have bad dreams about it...
 
303 makes fantastic fittings. Machines easily and finishes well.


Fellhoelter said:
I don't know about polishing, since I do very little of that, but I love 303, detest 304.

The difference is HUGE between the 2 materials.

303 is pleasant and easy to work, and 304 is terrible.

I have bad dreams about it...
Click to expand...
 
304 is miserable to mill, drill, and tap.
303 is a pleasure.
Making fantastic fittings is a big bonus, because if I ever do a project that requires that sort of thing, I enjoy working with it.
 
I don't know much about steel, but I've used 303 and been happy with the results. 303 is what I think is referred to as "free steel" (as in free machining) which includes higher sulfer content than 304 so that it machines well and won't work harden. This Loveless type hunter has a 303 guard, which soldered on OK as long as you used the right flux. What you may want to do is buy a chunk. Its pretty inexpensive an experiment with it. I think it buffs really nicely, but will scratch, and can't be hardened to any appreciable degree.

Jay

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