Angle grinder stock removal

[Hunterarrow]

This probably have been asked before but I couldn't find the threads. Is using an angle grinder bad? I mean it heats up the metal and changes its color. Is this ok? I don't have my own heat treating apparatus so if there is any extra steps needed to fix the burned edge during the HT I won't be able to do it.

 

[Broomhead]

As long as you are using the angle grinder prior to heat-treating, there isn't a problem. Any "damage" will get taken care of during the HT. After HT, though, it will kill your temper and you'll have to re-temper at the best, redo the Ht at the worst, or you might just be able to grind away the burnt bit if it is somewhere easy.

 

[629hugo]

You can run into problems work hardening your steel and you wont be able to finish file it after rough grinding with angle grinder unless you do a spot temper with small butane or MAP torch. As far as HT goes it will not hurt the quench process. Of course there will be no angle grinder near your knife after HT. Your wouldnt be able to re-temper back up to a higher hardness if you did over heat the blade during tempering unless you re-quench after critical heating.

 

[james terrio]

I cut steel to length/width and knock out very rough profiles with an angle grinder on a regular basis. I wear a full-face shield, welding gloves with long sleeves tucked into them, and exercise extreme focus when doing so... there's an awful lot that can go very wrong, very quickly. Be Careful and watch where the hot sparks are going! Clamp your workpiece in such a way that it cannot move, but you can make the cut you need. I would never try to make a curved cut with an angle-grinder... that seems like a guaranteed way to shatter a disk and send shrapnel all over the shop.

Setting bevels with an angle-grinder is a terrible idea.

 

[ThirdEdge97]

I mean it heats up the metal and changes its color. Is this ok?

No, its not good, when your steel starts changing color you've lost hardness.

I use an angle grinder to cut out my knives, I cut out a fillet knife and had trouble with it trying to burn up, I just worked from one end to the other tell I got through.
With my thicker knives I make from drag saw blades and big round saw mill blades I don't have a over heating problem, there's enough material and surface area the heat distributes.

If you're having heat troubles have a bucket of water and dunk It every 30 seconds or so.