I went to the store to get metal to make a knife and they had weldable steel and plate steel. Which one would be best/ which steels would be best for what i want to do?
'Plate' does not refer to a specific alloy. It simply describes the shape in which the metal is sold. Various steel alloys have varying degrees of weldability. Some weld well, with good strength. Others weld poorly, and crack or become very weak. Try looking up information on the specific alloy of steel.
Weldable steel is a generic term for steel with low carbon content which makes it easy to weld, form, and machine. If you're looking for a knife blade material, you need either a stainless steel or a high carbon steel which is not at all weldable. The more carbon in steel, the better it responds to heat treatment like hardening, tempering, etc. Plus, the high carbon steel will hold an edge better. Hope this helped.
