Paring knife questions

L

lel

Joined
Dec 26, 2006
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139
I want to make several paring knives out of 1/16" ATS-34. The blade length is 3" and the whole knife is about 7". So far I had experience only with 3/32" and 1/8" 1095 steel.
My first question is - should I grind the bevels before heat treating? I worry that 1/16" is too thin and might warp during HT process.
I will send the blade for HT, so the second question is - what hardness should I ask for? I think 57-58 should be ideal for this kind of knife, am I right about it?

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Sergiy
 
I usually profile,drill pin holes and grind off the mill scale then H/T and then grind the bevels. I like mine at 60,will hold a scary sharp edge for a while.
On 1/16" stock make one pass and dunk in water while grinding.On that thin stuff you can ruin the H/T quick.
Stan
 
You could start the bevels pre-HT since grinding will probably be a little more difficult after the steel has been hardened. Of course, if you don't want to risk your steel, you could grind after HT. It all depends on what you're comfortable with in the end. If you do choose to grind after HT, I second Stan. Keep that steel cool; you could even grind without gloves so you know when the steel is getting hot.
 
All the ones Ive done are 95 % finished then send out for heat treat and finish off the rest. I like doing paring knives maybee because they dont take much time. They will be nice made from ats 34 or even 154cm . I did one for my mom in cpm154 spalted beech and she wont use it cuzz its to nice she said lol .
 
I made an S30V paring knife out of 1/16" stock. 95% of the grinding was before HT. There was no warping but even if there was, it's an air-cooling steel so you can simply bend it straight before putting it in front of the fan (or in the oil).
 
I don't grind the bevels until after the heat treat on thin stock, but warping probably won't be a problem on a 3" blade. Paul Bos heat treats my ATS-34 to around 59-60, and it holds up very well in the kitchen.
 
Thanks everybody for the answers. It looks like it will be safer to grind the bevels after HT, so this is what I am going to try. cotdt , I will send the blades for HT, so I could not straighten them in the process if they warp.
As for heat treatment, I plan to send the blades to Texas Knifemaker's supply. Are there any other trusted places who will heat treat small quantities (4-6 blades at a time) at comparable price ($5-$6 per blade)? I will definitely try Paul Bos services when I start working on 20+ blades at the time, but right now I need just a few to be heat treated.

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Sergiy
 
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