Flattening Blade Stock

What is the best way to "flatten" your blade? I am using 440C and have ground out the outline. I am doing it on the flat platen using a 60 grit belt, and it seems to be taking quite a while to do it, as well as building up a bit of heat. Any tips?

Not sure what you mean by "flatten", Kevin - are you talking about dimensioning the stock, or flat-grinding the blade?

I think the best thing you can do for yourself at this point is to spend a little time with a knifemaker in your area and see how they do some of the things that challenge you. A picture is worth a thousand words.

but it is hard to get away from family and other commitments.

No not flat grinding the blade - what I mean by flattening is removing all the black "coating" from the steel in it's raw form, and to make it completely flat (tang and blade).

Here's is a picture from the "Let's Make a Lil' Skinner" tutorial by Terry and Ashley Hearn. This is the step I am talking about.

Kevin,

I flatten my steel on the platen, working it in line with the belt and platen, not diagonally, like the picture shows. I've tried that method, it just didn't work as well for me.
Here are a few tips to reduce heat and extend belt life.
-Hot rolling scale is particularly hard on belts. You can remove scale by soaking the profiled blank in white vinegar overnight. Scrub with steel wool and rinse with water.
-Grind a groove (like hollow grinding) in the center of the tang. This will cut down on heat and extend belt life while flattening it up.
-I recommend a magnet to hold the blank if you don't already have one.
-Don't allow the blank to get too hot because the steel will warp slightly causing more grinding to true it up.

Brett

Keven, the way I do it is to use a disk sander.

I mostly forge and usely have a lot of clean-up.

A disk keeps every thing flat and with spray adhesive you can use regular sandpaper insted of sanding disk or belts. And save the trimings for hand work.

Also like BCB27 said, a grinding magnet is a big help.

Brett - Using the magnet is a great tip! For some reason, I didn't think that stainless was magnetic.

I used a magnet that I usually use for welding that is quite powerfull, and it held the knife securely. I also tried using the 6x48 belt sander, which I didn't use before as I was unable to hold the knife in place. It worked quite well.

William - Do you find that the knife will overheat when using the disk?

It won't overheat but once with you holding the magnet next to the blade! Just keep dipping in water every few seconds, just like when grinding bevels.

This is the fastest way for me to remove scale, it clogs my belts up fast. But then all I've got is a modified Craftsman 2x42" sander.