Thin stock. At what point do you do all grinding after heat treat?

[JG Custom Metal Works]

I have some .135in(1/8in from Aldo) 1084 I'm going to make a Gyuto out of and am wondering if I should heat treat it before grinding in the bevels. If it wasn't such a large knife I'd have no problems grinding before HT. It isn't terribly big but it isn't a hunter either. It has a 8in blade, 2in wide at the heel, and 13in overall. Like I said, if it was a smaller knife I wouldn't think twice about it. Being that it's longer/wider I didn't know if I should worry about warping or twisting more...

I know around the .100in mark guys say to HT before grinding bevels. At what thickness do you guys HT prior to grinding bevels? I will be heat treating in my Atlas Mini-forge(no PID or thermocouple).

Also, if you have any general advice for doing chef knives I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The biggest problem will be getting an even HT on a large blade in a very small forge. 1084 is a good choice, but you will likely have to deal with warp/twist. If you have a good grinder, and a dip bucket, I would do the bevels after HT. The most I would do pre-HT is the distal taper and a very basic bevel, leaving the edge about .050".

Straighten what you can while still austenitic after about eight seconds in the quench oil. The rest will have to be done at the end of the second temper, while still at 400°F.

 

[JG Custom Metal Works]

The biggest problem will be getting an even HT on a large blade in a very small forge. 1084 is a good choice, but you will likely have to deal with warp/twist. If you have a gfood grinder, and a dip bucket, I would do the bevels after HT. The most I would do pre-HT is the distal taper and a very basic bevel, leaving the edge about .050".

Straighten what you can while still austenitic after about eight seconds in the quench oil. The rest will have to be done at the end of the second temper, while still at 400°F.

Thanks for the response Stacy, I appreciate it. I'm new to the whole kitchen cutlery realm.

Any advice for getting an even HT in my smaller forge? I know to work the blade in and out of the forge slowly. I imagine I want to focus primarily on the edge area(and probably 1/2in up from the edge) up to temp, right? I usually don't bother hardening the handle/tang area.

I'm thinking I'll probably just grind bevels after HT and be real careful. I'm not that confident in my ability to straighten, so I'd just as soon bypass warping all together. I have a KMG with a VFD so I'm good to go in regards to the grinder. I plan to just use a new 60 grit belt and dunk frequently(after each pass).

 

[Jason Fry]

You might try essentially plate quenching it after the initial dunk in the oil. Put it in the oil as Stacy said, then pull it out at 5-600 degrees and clamp it between plates, angle iron, or something straight.

 

[JG Custom Metal Works]

That's a good idea. For now I think I might just grind the bevels post HT. I'll do one and do some edge testing to see how it holds up.

 

[viral]

I do what Jason does. I don't look at it at all after I pull t out and put it between my plates and crank it like all heck

 

[viral]

That's a good idea. For now I think I might just grind the bevels post HT. I'll do one and do some edge testing to see how it holds up.

If you don't, with 3/32 stock you'll get these really nice bows to them that seems impossible to temper out. Stick it between the plates and crank it. Give it 10 seconds or so and pull it out. Should be at least most straight. Mine always kick over right at the back 1-2 inches of the handle

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I grind just about everything after heat treat.

It's a little harder on belts, but you almost never have to deal with warp.