Thin Stock Before Heat Treat Question

C_Kyle

C_Kyle

Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Messages
1,086
Silly n00b question:

3/32" 1095. I plan to do a single bevel convex edge. My question is, because the stock is fairly thin, should I grind some of the bevel before heat treating or after? I know the steel will be much more difficult to work after heat treating; but, I'm not sure if a bevel on the thin stock might cause problems during heat treating.

Thanks.
 
the most common cause of warping is your quench. use a fast oil to quench in, not water, or brine. when you quench plunge straight in. No side, or yaw at all. go ahead and start your bevels. with stock that thick they are going to be under 10º and probably close to 5º to get it a full grind! leave atleast .030-.040" for the edge. Then work it down form there. Nothing wrong with asking a question. :D

Jason
 
With material that thin it can be easier to heat treat first, grind later. And then just keep in mind that you've got to frequently cool as you're grinding (helps to wear no gloves or anything, and when it gets hot to touch, dip it back in water, that'll keep you from ever getting hot enough for a temper color change)
 
I forgot to add that I'll be outsourcing heat treating to Pete's Heat Treat.

So, I'm OK to go ahead and do the bevels, or wait until after heat treat and just make sure to stay cool.:cool:

Thanks for the info.
 
Did you say this is going to be a single bevel, like some Japanese knives? Any asymmetry in the blade cross section will tend to cause warping during quench. And the thinner you go, the worse this will be. If you're going to grind on both sides of the blade, you can rough your bevels in if you can keep them even, and maintain some thickness. But if you're only grinding one side, I'd be afraid it will warp. That warp can be straightened during an interrupted quench, but I don't know if Pete is going to want to do that.

If it were me, I'd do it all after HT. But, I'm setup to grind cool. I don't know what your setup is like.
 
I heat treat and grind afterwards much of the time. Use sharp belts and cool after every pass or two.
 
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