ANNEALING STAINLESS

SEEMS I GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF AND HARDENED SOME 440C BEFORE I SHOULD HAVE . HOW DO YOU ANNEAL STAINLESS THAT HAS BEEN HARDENED AND TEMPERED SO I CAN FINISH MY WORK WITH IT BEING A LITTLE SOFTER ?DO YOU DO IT LIKE CARBON STEEL? THANKS,
LARRY

Larry,
I am by no means an expert on this but I believe that most stainless is pretty much a one shot deal when it comes to heat treat.
What do you need to do to the blade? You can still do any grinding you may need to do after heat treat, just take your time and don't overheat the blade while grinding. Most makers do considerable grinding and polishing after heat treat.
You can spot anneal areas on the tang that will soften that small spot enough to drill, or use a carbide bit to drill the hardened tang. The carbide bits are pricey and fragile but they will drill the hardened tang.
Hope this helps until someone comes along with a better way.
Mike

I don't work with 440C any more but the annealing process is something like this according to Crucible:

Heat to 1650 hold two hours and cool slowly (25 deg/hr MAX) to 1200 then air cool.

OR

Heat to 1600 hold 2 hours, cool to 1300 hold for 4 hours, then air cool.

Hope this helps.