D2 question

[Ryan J]

Soon Im going to order steel to make my first knives. I understand it is not advisable to start with d2 as it is harder to work. But my reason is I can afford to have it heat treated as Texas knife will do it for $6.50 per blade. They dont do oil quench and the best price I found for heat treating oil quench steel is $16.50 per blade. Thats out of my price range for the four knives I want to make for family members. And d2 is quite a bit cheaper then the stainless options. I cant find a2 in the 5/32 x 2 that I need.
That out if the way heres the question. I understand d2 is air hardening. I've read around and the info Ive found says it isn't advisable to reheat treat d2 as it can cause cracking. So once the process is started it has to be finished. So my question is do i need to worry about getting d2 too hot during the cutting/shaping process? Can I cut the rough shape with an angle grinder or do I need to use a hacksaw to avoid overheating? Newb question I know.
If anyone knows where I can get reasonable prices for treating 1095 that would be ideal however. I'm pretty antsy about working the d2 anyway. I have a 1x30 belt grinder and Im not sure the little guy has the oomph. Some people say annealed d2 is slightly harder to work then simple steels and others say its very difficult so I dont know what to believe.

 

[Frank Niro]

Seems you have really checked this all out. Go with the D2. D2 is a great steel.But I hope it's about 1/8" thick and you are not looking at making a chopper as your first. Frank

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

It's a good idea to avoid getting any steel extremely hot while working on it, but it's not that critical before heat treat. While you certainly don't want to get it glowing hot while grinding it, running colors isn't a big problem.

D2 needs sub zero as a part of the quench. You have to request that.

 

[Ryan J]

Thank you both for the replies. Thats exactly what I needed to know. Frank, I think Ill go with 1/8 inch. I have a pocket knife in Aus 8 thats 1/8 and its plenty thick for its size. Was considering 5/32 but I dont think that its worth $13 for the extra 1/32. And Nathan thanks I will request the cryo treatment for sure.
Messing around with the design still. Its a bit unconventional but then so are my inspirations. The Praetorian and Tanic. I have been drawing it out, cutting it out of cardboard, and transferring it to wood. A little more tweaking and Ill be happy enough with it to put it on here and get some critique.