prepping ats34 for heat treat

[joesouth]

This is my first attempt at getting a mirror finish on my blades, and working with ats34. How far should I go with hand sanding prior to heat treat to make my job easier? I have already ground to a 400 grit trizac belt then hand sanded with 220 then 320 to remove all the scratches. Is this enough or should I go further? I am sending them to Texas Knife Supply for treat and cryo freeze, they did a fabulous job on some 154cm that I sent out a while ago but they were bead blasted so a super finish wasn't critical. Thank you in advance for any suggestions

 

[AcridSaint]

If the blades are hand sanded to 320 and you've got all of the scratches out, I would say they are ready for heat treating. The only problem I ever have with knives ground before heat treating is deep scratches which are a serious pain to remove after. If you have a nice even 320 finish on it I think you'll have no trouble finishing up from there after heat treat.

 

[silver_pilate]

I agree. I sometimes find it necessary to *lightly* grind off discoloration with a 400 grit belt after heat treating, and then you can start back at 320 and work up from there.

When the blade is done with heat treating, try sanding starting at 320 FIRST, then, if it's too slow to remove the discoloration, go back to the grinder if you want.

--nathan

 

[Frank Niro]

Yes, dn't be surprised to see your blade back with some irregular colouring on it. That is normal. Frank

 

[joesouth]

Thank's guys, actually my arms thank you the most, I'm doing ten blades and I'm no spring chicken anymore. I'll post some picks when they get back.