Magnacut Machete

[Kris J]

Looking for a knife maker to make a Machete from one of my designs, it's a roughly 21 inch machete including handle, I already have the metal of the proper width, length and thickness. write in here or PM me if interested.

[Geoff Keyes]

I'm kind of scared to ask, but what is the material?

 

Geoff

[Kris J]

The title kind of says it all, Magnacut is the steel

[Alan Longmire]

This stuff.

 

https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/03/25/cpm-magnacut/

 

Warning! opinion follows, read at your own risk!

 

I'd think it is not the best choice for swords and machetes, despite being the toughest stainless supersteel.  18 ft/lbs at Rc60 is impressive for a PM stainless,  but that's not saying much compared to traditional machete steels like 5160, which can take  45 ft/lbs at Rc 58 and still be sharpenable with a file.  Sure, it'll beat other steels at edge holding, since that's what it was designed to do.  And it's certainly better at the hardness/toughness tradeoff game than most other stainless alloys.  I just don't know if it has the flexibility needed for machete work.  Excellent for kitchen knives and choppers, though.  

 

/opinion over. 

[Kris J]

well the machete I'm making is kind of a unique design, it only has a 15 inch long blade as oppose to a more typical 17 or 18 inch one and it's shape falls somewhere in-between that of a machete and a Bowie like chopper, closer to a Bowie but still it's definitely not a normal machete design by any means and since it's not as long as a typical machete the need for maximum toughness isn't there.

 

Keep in mind many machetes have been made from A2 and Cruwear and both usually perform just fine and A2 definitely has less toughness than this stuff.

 

If I were making a katana I'd probably choose 5160, but given this is a shorter wider blade, and given I want it to be stainless magnacut just made sense.

[Geoff Keyes]

I don't do stainless, so I'm out, but I would be interested in seeing the design.  Machete's, in my experience, are generally quite thin and light, meant for cutting vegetation and small diameter tree trunks and branches.

If I were going to make a brush sword, L6 would be my choice, followed by 15n20 and other carbon steels, but you seem set on your choice.

 

Geoff

[Alan Longmire]

That's too long for my furnace and quench plates, or I'd do it just to see what happens.  And I hope I never have to sharpen one made from CruWear!

[Kris J]

7 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said:

That's too long for my furnace and quench plates, or I'd do it just to see what happens.  And I hope I never have to sharpen one made from CruWear!

Thanks I appreciate the sentiment, I'm glad there's some that would make this for me if they could.

 

Actually maybe you still can, do you know of anyone that you could send it to get heat treated?

 

Have you heard of Paul Bos by any chance? I actually had a sword heat treated by him several years ago.

[Gerald Boggs]

While not germane to your quest for a bladesmith. Back during the Grenada Fall Vacation of 83, I watched one of the hotel gardeners mowing the grass with a machete. Just how sharp is a blade that cuts grass by swinging the blade back and forth with mostly nothing more then the wrist?

[Kris J]

31 minutes ago, Gerald Boggs said:

While not germane to your quest for a bladesmith. Back during the Grenada Fall Vacation of 83, I watched one of the hotel gardeners mowing the grass with a machete. Just how sharp is a blade that cuts grass by swinging the blade back and forth with mostly nothing more then the wrist?

I would think it would have to be dang near razor sharp because grass is very flimsy and likes to move a lot. cool story though, I've seen machetes of different types used a lot in Guatemala on one of my trips. They seem to be more popular in other parts of the world.

 

Of course what I'm making isn't exactly a machete, it's a little thicker, and a little shorter, but I don't know what els to call it, a long bowie with no hilt or full guard perhaps, not sure, I'm just sticking with machete for now, but it'll be more than capable of going through fairly thick branches and not just do brush work.

[Alan Longmire]

2 hours ago, Kris J said:

Have you heard of Paul Bos by any chance?

 

Oh yeah, Paul is the grand old man of the business, top quality.  I can also recommend https://petersheattreat.com/blades/ as excellent.  I have not used them myself, but they have great reviews.  

 

2 hours ago, Gerald Boggs said:

mowing the grass with a machete.

 

My 28" Tramontina from Brazil can do that.  THIN thin blade. Like, 0.070" thick, short 1/4" bevel, I sharpen with a carbide "tooth" they sell at garden supply places.  Shaves off the steel like a sen, leaves a far sharper edge than files or stones.  That machete sings when you cut grass with it.  Not suitable for wood over about 3/8" thick, but soft stuff is like nothing's there. Oh, and it's made from 1070.  My army surplus Ontario Knife machete is 1095 and is good for wood.  It'll do grass if you try really hard, but nothing like the Tramontina.

[Kris J]

3 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said:

 

Oh yeah, Paul is the grand old man of the business, top quality.  I can also recommend https://petersheattreat.com/blades/ as excellent.  I have not used them myself, but they have great reviews.  

 

 

My 28" Tramontina from Brazil can do that.  THIN thin blade. Like, 0.070" thick, short 1/4" bevel, I sharpen with a carbide "tooth" they sell at garden supply places.  Shaves off the steel like a sen, leaves a far sharper edge than files or stones.  That machete sings when you cut grass with it.  Not suitable for wood over about 3/8" thick, but soft stuff is like nothing's there. Oh, and it's made from 1070.  My army surplus Ontario Knife machete is 1095 and is good for wood.  It'll do grass if you try really hard, but nothing like the Tramontina.

So would you be willing to give this Machete/ Bowie design of mine a try? I could send you several sketches and a rough blueprint for the handle I made up if you got an email.

 

If you can do the work of shaping the blade and making the handle I'm perfectly fine sending it to bos afterword and back to you for any final touches that need to be made, I'll pay for the additional shipping no problem.

[Kris J]

8 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said:

 

Oh yeah, Paul is the grand old man of the business, top quality.  I can also recommend https://petersheattreat.com/blades/ as excellent.  I have not used them myself, but they have great reviews.  

 

 

My 28" Tramontina from Brazil can do that.  THIN thin blade. Like, 0.070" thick, short 1/4" bevel, I sharpen with a carbide "tooth" they sell at garden supply places.  Shaves off the steel like a sen, leaves a far sharper edge than files or stones.  That machete sings when you cut grass with it.  Not suitable for wood over about 3/8" thick, but soft stuff is like nothing's there. Oh, and it's made from 1070.  My army surplus Ontario Knife machete is 1095 and is good for wood.  It'll do grass if you try really hard, but nothing like the Tramontina.

By the way I think it's awesome you're in Tennessee you're literally right next door to me, NC native here 

[Alan Longmire]

11 minutes ago, Kris J said:

So would you be willing to give this Machete/ Bowie design of mine a try? I could send you several sketches and a rough blueprint for the handle I made up if you got an email.

 

If you can do the work of shaping the blade and making the handle I'm perfectly fine sending it to bos afterword and back to you for any final touches that need to be made, I'll pay for the additional shipping no problem.

 

Oh, I thought you were just looking for a heat treat person, sorry.  I don't do design commissions, those never work out to both parties' satisfaction.  I'd be happy to take a look and offer suggestions as a maker/user of such things, but I don't have the time or inclination to  do the grinding and handle work.  

 

12 minutes ago, Kris J said:

By the way I think it's awesome you're in Tennessee you're literally right next door to me, NC native here 

 

Then hop over the mountain to the hammer-in at the end of this month!  Details are down in Events of Interest, save the date: second annual Bowie's memorial hammer-in.  Depending on where you are, that may be right next door.  I'm about ten miles from the NC border in a straight line, the hammer-in is maybe two miles from said border as the crow flies, but if you're in , say, Wilmington that doesn't help much...

[Gerald Boggs]

2 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

two miles from said border as the crow flies,

Or two days by mule over the pass

[Kris J]

9 hours ago, Alan Longmire said:

 

Oh, I thought you were just looking for a heat treat person, sorry.  I don't do design commissions, those never work out to both parties' satisfaction.  I'd be happy to take a look and offer suggestions as a maker/user of such things, but I don't have the time or inclination to  do the grinding and handle work.  

 

 

Then hop over the mountain to the hammer-in at the end of this month!  Details are down in Events of Interest, save the date: second annual Bowie's memorial hammer-in.  Depending on where you are, that may be right next door.  I'm about ten miles from the NC border in a straight line, the hammer-in is maybe two miles from said border as the crow flies, but if you're in , say, Wilmington that doesn't help much...

ah ok, no problem.

 

Yea I might just do that, always have loved the mountains of Tennessee, some real beautiful towns over there.

[Kris J]

So any other takers that can help me out with this short machete/ campsword/ extralong bowie fusion of a design I've come up with? lol

[Carlos Lara]

Do you have the metal already in hand? I heard on another forum magnacut isn't that easy to come by, and that usually blanks are small knife size only. It would be possible to weld multiple blanks together, but that's going to drive up the price. I don't think it's going to be that easy to forge either, most stainless is a challenge. I'd contact one of the knifemakers on the magnacut website Alan linked to above.

[Kris J]

15 minutes ago, Carlos Lara said:

Do you have the metal already in hand? I heard on another forum magnacut isn't that easy to come by, and that usually blanks are small knife size only. It would be possible to weld multiple blanks together, but that's going to drive up the price. I don't think it's going to be that easy to forge either, most stainless is a challenge. I'd contact one of the knifemakers on the magnacut website Alan linked to above.

Already have the steel in the proper length, width and thickness.

[Eric Estlund]

Kris, this might be just the drive to order up that grinder you know you want.

[Kris J]

13 minutes ago, Eric Estlund said:

Kris, this might be just the drive to order up that grinder you know you want.

 

Haha, no thanks, I have absolutely no skill as a bladesmith, I'm just a designer that can do half way decent blue prints and sketches.

[Gerhard Gerber]

I badly wanted to order some Magnacut when I saw it on the site of a supplier I use occasionally, and I will someday, but the cost of the steel was equal to what I would charge for a completed knife of the same size.

With generally uneducated customers I don't think it would work if I tell them to google Magnacut when they query the price.

Very expensive steel to use for a machete.

[Kris J]

49 minutes ago, Gerhard Gerber said:

I badly wanted to order some Magnacut when I saw it on the site of a supplier I use occasionally, and I will someday, but the cost of the steel was equal to what I would charge for a completed knife of the same size.

With generally uneducated customers I don't think it would work if I tell them to google Magnacut when they query the price.

Very expensive steel to use for a machete.

 

I agree, but I already have the steel now, so I'm going to use it, it's going to make one awesome Machete/ Bowie.

 

Would you be interested in making my blade?

[vlegski]

 I think we need to see we need to see some specs (thickness)on your metal and a complete drawing. The unique handle design gives me thought you have other unique design features you want. I'm thinking you want a stylized Rambo jungle knife

[Kris J]

24 minutes ago, vlegski said:

 I think we need to see we need to see some specs (thickness)on your metal and a complete drawing. The unique handle design gives me thought you have other unique design features you want. I'm thinking you want a stylized Rambo jungle knife

 

Yes, it's kind of stylized, I'm not sure what exactly to call to it's sort of a fusion of many things, one part machete, one part Bowie, a little "rambo" survival/ fighter knife features for good measure lol. Yea it's a very cool design, I'll share more pictures later tonight.

 

As for thickness, the sheet I got is 3/16th or .1875 inches thick. The total length of the blade including handle is right around 21 inches.