u/Brokerib

Hi folks,

A bit of a random question. Am making a knife for a friend who wants interchangeable scales (to be able to swap in and out the pistol grips from his 1911).

So, I need to drill, tap and thread the tang to be able to screw in 1911 bolsters.

The question I have is, do I drill and tap the holes before heat treat or after?

Threads are easy to cut before the blade is hardened but I am concerned that they'll deform.

After hardening there is a greater risk of breaking drill bits and the tap, or breaking the blade.

So maybe a differential heat treat and only quench the blade? Or drill the pin holes before the quench and tap afterwards?

Any advice appreciated, if anyone has experience with threaded pin holes.