grinding my blade

[OutdoorsFamilyMan4]

I am starting to shape my blade today. Im using a piece of 1084. Do I need to dip it in water every few seconds so it doesnt get too hot or is that just for files?

 

[Justin King]

If it isn't hardened yet then it is not critical to keep it cool while grinding, but you can create stress in any piece of steel by rampant uneven heating, and those stresses can cause warpage or worse during heat treat. You will need to cool it periodically at any rate, you can only let it get so hot before it starts causing other problems besides stresses or overtempering.

 

[Remyrw]

If you work with bare hands you'll dip often enough just to save your fingers. Even if you wear thin gloves. I tend to grind a bit, dunk, grind some more... basically, every time I pause to do more than glance at it really fast I dunk it, wipe it, inspect, continue.

 

[amamachinist]

I don't think it is safe to wear gloves while working with machinery. I dunk when my fingers get hot. I can't however comment on what it does to the metal. I think that it would depend on the type of metal.