area it covers so that it does not get as hard but, should not grow the grain but very little. so more than likely it was a failure of the quench process!!! or he did get the blade too hot before the quench!!
now here is a stack photo that shows it all!!
notice the one on the bottom, that is about as perfect of a grain you could ask for. i keep these photos for reference purposes and dig then out every so often as a visual to what i am trying to say. sometimes my thoughts don't come out so well in words!!
two things that i have learned about knife 