Sharpening after heat treat if you left to much steel

C

CRC

Joined
Nov 26, 2014
Messages
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Hey all. My name is Cody. First time poster but have been lurking for a while. I realized why its so important to get the blade to 1/32 prior to heat treat, that being sharpening it and allowing the blade bevel to be even once complete. I have a few blades that I would like to sharpen, already knowing they won't be nice even when complete. My question is; since I left 1/16" +/- on the edge, what would be the best grit belt to sharpen it with? The Lansky will take entirely too long so I'm open to whatever suggestions you may have.
Thanks,
Cody
 
I don't understand what you mean by "allowing the blade bevel to be even once complete"

People here manage even bevels all the time on all thicknesses. Sure 1/16 will take a lot more time than 1/32, but the only difference is the amount of patience you put into it.

Anyways, look around in the tinkering maintenance and embellishment section of Bladeforums, I'm sure oyu can find a lot of info on what you're looking for.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment
 
I should have been more clear on that. My blade is thicker at the handle end then the middle and tip. So it takes more steel off when sharpening the thicker portions of the blade. I guess the question should have been asked differently. What grit paper would you use to put the final edge on a knife if the steel was left 1/16" thick? 400? Does it make no difference?
 
I would use whatever means you used to grind the bevel in the first place (belt sander with coarse grits followed by finer grits, file, etc). Just make sure not to over heat the blade if it's a power tool.

If you want to use paper to correct the bevel I would start with 100 and see what the progress looks like. Coarser grits may go faster but you'll spend time getting the scratches out.
 
Grind the bevel after heat treat... need to remove decarb anyways. Then proceed as usual.


-X
 
I've read that many experienced makers do all of their grinding after heat treating, the harder steel doesn't gum up the belts as badly or somesuch?
 
Thanks for the info guys. I will try to straighten it out on the belt grinder.
 
There is typically pre HT grinding AND post HT grinding. As previous posters mention be careful about heat when post HT grinding.
 
When you grind and sand the blade pre-HT, the edge is left at about .020-.030" to prevent warping of the edge in quench. After HT it is re-sanded to take the edge down to about .010". Once the edge is there, finish sand the bevels and put on the handle. Once all tasks are done, sharpen the knife.

Note - On stainless steels, the edge can be .010" pre-HT.
 
Use a brand new high quality belt when grinding after heat treating a blade. You need less pressure therefor less friction and heat build up. Light even passes work best. Quench after each pass.
Fred
 
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