Annealing old knife blades

[Rookie7]

A friend recently gave me two Chicago Cutlery knives that he did not need anymore. I'm guessing it is some sort of higher carbon steel??

I was thinking of removing the handles, annealing the steel, and reconfiguring one of both of the blades for a thru-tang knife. I assume it needs to be annealed to work on it. My tools include a kitchen oven and a propane blowtorch. I'd appreciate any hints on doing it right (or at least somewhat effectively). Or, if you think I am nuts, I'd appreciate knowing that before I bend my pick. Thanks in advance.

 

[Andrew Taylor]

Heating to cherry red and leaving to cool naturally will remove the temper and make it soft enough to work.

 

[Shawn fu]

if you only have a torch,heat the steel until you start seeing the oxidization colors,heat past blue until you cant see the colors any more-not the best,but if you can't heat to cherry red,it will be better than nothing.