heat treat question

[the jerm]

this might be a stupid question but can I heat treat my blade blanks before I grind?

 

[Remyrw]

You could, but it'll make grinding them a lot tougher. A few folks will grind them most of the way then ht before finishing up, to make sure they don't lose too much during the post ht clean up. It's also an effective way to slow yourself down as long while grinding that last little bit. You just have to be careful about overheating things. Near the edge or point it's possible to be effectively tempering it due to the heat caused by grinding.

 

[SBuzek]

Yes you can harden then grind,but if your using s30v or D2 your gonna wish you hadn't.
Stan

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

It really depends on your equipment and the knife style. If you have a 132" wet sander, then by all means harden first. If the blade is a 1/16" fillet knife, harden first. On a larger knife it is probably best to form the bevels to an edge of .030-.040" and then harden.

 

[Patrickknives]

I bounce back and forth, for 1/16 harden first, 3/32 most likely, 1/8 kinda likely anything else no. Hardend steel is not that tough to grind if you use new belts, worn will slip and burn. I will usualy only get one hardend blade per belt but several annealed.

 

[the jerm]

thanks guys I think I might try it with some 3/32.