After not doing it for a year ,i could use a little help

[v-6]

Been off do to stroke and need a little help. I heat-treated 4 blades of 1095 , cleaned them up and started to sand them down for a saten look.
sanded to 400 grit by hand (for med reason) and i see a gost of carbon in the blade , so i did it again,and again,and again. it still there, so how can i get rid of it?
thanks vern :sad:

 

[Josh Dabney]

Vern,

Could be decarb but sounds more like a natural hamon by your description.

Did you etch these blades in ferric chloride at all ? Giving them a dip in the ferric could help identify the issue. Even if your not after an etched finish it'll sand right off at 400 grit but it should give you a good idea whether you've got a mixed structure or just decarb.

-Josh