OK< I was handed a 8" Tonto blade that looks like some one took a bench grinder to. about 2 inches back they must have been day dreaming and for about say 2 inches, the edge is 1/16 to 1/8 lower than the rest of the blade. In planning this project out, I'm going to have to remove a lot of steel to even it out, but how do you suggest I go about it while 1. knowing when it is truly level and 2, not deepening the gully while passing over or around it?

Any pictures of said blade possible? Initial is find a belt grinder but tough to say without pictures.

I was poking around for my digital, only to find out my wife lent it... no photos ... just my shabby descriptive powers. No belt grinders here either, only stones, diamond and natural. I'm going to tackle this with the WES, It will be a chance to test out deferent pressers and stone progression. I have a lot of steel to play with.

Belt grinder or paper grit wheel.
Yeah, 50/80 grit stones will get there, but belt or wheel will get you there in 2 minutes.
Finish it on the WEPS.

Just my 2 cents.

Are you planning on reducing the entire length of the blade to match the low spot, or try to blend it in?

If the intent is to reduce the entire length, You may want to try out your drawing skills and trace out the finished profile first; you may find that the knife looks pretty odd with that much steel removed ( that would be my guess actually...that it'll look odd)

It would certainly be less work to try to blend it in and modify the lines of the knife, unless of course the low area is in the middle of the blade ( which would really suck..). If you have to take all that steel off, I'd be looking hard to find a grinder that I could borrow for a bit. It'll take you forever to remove that much metal manually.

WayneReimer hit rule #1... make sure the owner knows what's going on... what the knife will look like when you're done, and that you have that understanding before you start. He's also right in looking at other options... consider sharpening it out over time... if you can blend it a bit, and it still serves its purpose. This is a very good point!

The WE is certainly capable of making this repair... especially if you have the 50/80g stones. I think some would be surprised at the amount of steel you can remove. The control also means that each stroke does exactly what you want it to.

Biggest rule I learned is that damage repair is not sharpening. Don't try to sharpen the damage out. (I'm not talking minor damage, but something that really needs work).

Set the WE at the highest angle you can... clear out to the edge of the bar. Work the area around the damage to bring everything back in line. (Make sure the arm swings freely across the entire area you're working).

Go slow at first... make sure you're not creating any new problems... especiially near the heel, and tip, or where the tanto transitions. Once you feel comfortable you can pick up the pace... but check your work often.

If you're using the really coarse stones... this will really abrade the edge... so when you get close to where you want it... take a fine stone at 90 deg. to the edge (freehand obviously), and smooth it out... then you can start sharpening at the angle you want. Again, avoid the damaged area until the bevels are close to lining up... then sharpen as normal.

Kind of a brief summary... let me know if something's not clear or I need to expand on it.

Good advice... I need to make sure he understands, I said it once but I understand, Short of turning it into a letter opener I don't I can hurt it much more. It had a nice convex continuous grind from heel to ha , but I'll never restore that.
I was worried about taking the 50 to the edge, I didn't think of knocking it down and refining it, Thanks.

Let me know how it works out. If it does become a bigger job than you (or I) anticipated (hard to tell without pictures), let me know. I have other equipment that may work (like others said, sometimes a grinder is your best friend).

If nothing else... it'll be the sharpest letter opener around!!