Thickness of a dime or a little more is good, just remember that while grinding after heat treat, to keep the edge of the blade below the temp that it was tempered at, basicly if you have a color change from shiny steel, you are to hot. Go light on the pressure and keep it moving across the belt, then dip in water after each pass. The cheapest way to heat treat is probably the one brick forge, but I would stick to 1084, not sure if 5160 requires a soak at temp, if not it should also be good.
Hope this helps
Dale