Dave B. Martin

I made a knife from 5160 heated past nonmagnetic and quenched in peanut oil. Tempered twice for 1 hour at 400. I tested it today and came out at 56 Rc. Is this a good hardness for 5160 or does it need to be higher?

What are the tricks to getting scales flat on your platten? Mine are always having a bow in the middle.

I am trying my first spacers on scales. Desert ironwood, g10, copper. The copper did not bond to the g10. I roughed all surfaces with 60 grit and wiped with acetone. I used 30 minute epoxy that is about 2 years old. What do I need to do differently?