I bought a Joseph Elliot a few weeks ago,and the steel is so hard a 120 grit stick wont phase the pitting/oxidation on the end of the blade.Is this steel normally this hard? It did appear slightly black on the end.If this had been overheated,could a good blacksmith anneal it to make it workable and then re-temper it?I hate to think this old blade is toast,it has some unique angles on it and the jimps underneath are as sharp as a new one,also the brand stampings are very good.