heat treatment

[andydude]

Hi guys I have a question regarding heat treatment of knives. I have seen on youtube some people buy already heat treated blank and use stock removal method to make a knife. Wouldnt a stock removal make the heat treatment null?

 

[DevinT]

Use sharp belts and a water mist to keep things cool and you’ll be fine.

Hoss

 

[DanF]

If the blank you are grinding is not hot enough to burn your bare fingers you are not hurting the ht.
The thinner the edge and point get, the quicker the temp rises in that area, be mindful of that.

 

[navman]

Quite a few makers grind post HT. Depending on the steel I also grind post HT (particularly with AEBL). One pass on the grinder, dunk in water.

 

[PMQ]

A heat treatment goes null at about 400F (which typically is the temper temperature), which is not that hot, but is hot enough to burn your hands, so it's recommended that you grind without gloves, you immediately pull out when your hands feels warm. Also dip in water constantly will keep the blade cool.

 

[Sando]

I do ALL my grinding post heat treat. For me, doing some of the grinding pre-heattreat doesn't save any time or belts. 36-60 grit belts do just fine on hardened steel. It's the finishing belts (220+) that you have to worry about for over heating. For those belts slow the grinder down, less pressure, and use mist like D DevinT says.

There is one thing to be aware of trying to trust your fingers: the part of the blade you need to worry about overheating is the edge. That can overheat before your fingers feel it on the bulk of the blade. Search for threads about burning tips for extreme examples.