Couple of newb questions

[SharpEdge0913]

I have a couple of unrelated questions. I am working on two knives at the moment and encountered some issues.

1) I am making a hidden tang hunter from 440C and have a process question. The blade is profiled and I read the heat treat instructions, so I know what to do there. Here is where I am questioning myself. If I bevel the blade before heat treatment when I quench between aluminum plates the beveled area will not touch the plate and will cool slower and not get as hard (this is what is formulating in my brain at the moment and may be wrong ). The other route is to heat treat as is and then put the bevel on after heat treatment. That seems like a lot of material to remove when hardened. Also note that this is my first time using 440C or grinding the bevel (I have always used a file to get it close to the final bevel before heat treatment). I would like to know your bevel process for 440C. Maybe I am over thinking this.

2) I am working on another knife, the first one that I am trying finish and make look nice (the others have not made it this far lol). I have been sanding and sanding and sanding The handle material is orange G10. With course grits the G10 works fine, however as i move up to finer grits the orange start to get stained black. Note that I have a nickel silver pin in it the orange G10 scale and it is also butted up to a nickel silver bolster. What gives? Any trick to ensure the orange does not get black marks? I want some nice bright shiny orange next to a mirror nickel silver bolster.


Thanks!

[Ray Rogers]

1) One answer is to grind after the HT is complete. This is the method I use. The other answer is to grind first and quench in still air (no plates)

2) The nickle will stain other materials. You can mask the guard and the handle in turn with heavy tape and that should help. Use sharp fresh belts and slow down the grinder if you can. Soap and water should be able to remove the crud ....

[SharpEdge0913]

Thanks, Ray.

I will use your method for the 440C.

I did not know that about nickel... learn something new everyday... or in the knife making world, I learn like 20 new things a day!

[Ray Rogers]

Yup, I finally gave up on nickle and brass. Now I use steel for furniture almost every time...