I'm making a handle for this Helle blade I bought and was thinking of doing a little file work on the top of the blade. Would doing so hurt the blade in any way? This is one of the triple laminated blades from Helle, the Harding. I figured I'd ask before messing something up since I wasn't sure if this was typically done before or after hardening the blade.
Thanks,
Rusty
Some of the smart guys on here will hopefully come along, but my 2 cents says it won't hurt the blade. I think most guys do file work before hardening simply because it's easier on the guy doing it as well as the files :) . Good luck and be sure to post pics.
Jeremy
It should not hurt it at all when done properly. Keep the file work from cutting all the way across the spine. I do all my main file work on annealed blades, and then finish work them after hardening.
I've done a little file work on helle blades before with no ill effect.
Thanks guys.