I realize not everyone has mechanical skills or resources but its not hard to buy even modest affordable torches or to make a home made forge. This last week I took a roller bearing race from a scrap bucket loader, a very BIG race that after a lot of heat and hammering was drawn straight and flat into a piece about 16” long and about 1 1/2’ wide, its 52100 steel that is sought after by many custom knife makers, its different and harder than leaf spring steel. Its normal hardness is around 58 Rockwell for obvious reasons as a bearing material and is high carbon with vanadium.
Its almost finished as a heavy kitchen knife right now after I put some wood handles on it, it makes a very sharp edge and a person can refine it to an even harder Rockwell if desired but in its normalized state is harder than many traditional knifes. I tried to deliberately break another test piece and could not without getting into using a massive hammer and vice, a very abundant material thats been overlooked because people think its only good for bearings. Its hard to shape even when orange and difficult to grind unless its tempered.
Leaf springs can be used but apparently the alloy in modern springs does not create a good knife unless from a European vehicle, however a clean not corroded coil spring can be straightened and used as a material.
People think sawzall blades would make a good knife but the problem is that many blades like that are bi-metal, sure they can be “Knife looking objects” but real knives are works of art. My next work will be taking a broken concrete drill bit (BIG) and wrapping some old chainsaw blade around it and then hammer weld it all together into a flat bar stock. Should creat an interesting damascus effect.
Funny you should mention leaf springs...
The Von Tempsky Bowie is a legendary New Zealand sheath knife, made famous during the Maori Wars of the mid-19th Century. It was/is made from Wagon Spring steel.
They are handmade by Svord in New Zealand -- I've got mine right in front of me. It is perfectly balanced, convex edge (like an ax), razor sharp and beautifully made. The sheath is heavy harness-strap leather -- a formidable weapon in and of itself. It is the finest knife I have ever owned.