How to Sharpen Metal Files

I was thinking that you could heat your old file to 2200F, hit it with a hammer a significant amount, grind it to shape, heat to 1950F, quench in canola oil, sharpen and have a knife. Turning a file into a knife makes it significantly sharper.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I was thinking that you could heat your old file to 2200F, hit it with a hammer a significant amount, grind it to shape, heat to 1950F, quench in canola oil, sharpen and have a knife. Turning a file into a knife makes it significantly sharper.
Click to expand...

Yeah, unless you get one of the new case hardened files, in which instance, you pretty much end up with a lot of work into a knife shaped object. Mild steel, case hardened after the teeth are formed, is pretty much the way they are most made now.

Take care of your files in the first place, and you won't have to #### about with acid baths. Treat them well, they last a long time.

Worth keeping a couple file cards, and a stick or two of chalk around. Chalk the file to keep it from pinning on softer metals.

Read an interesting articlle on taking a fine hard stone to the teeth of the file after it has served it's time. Essentially, to take the tops off all the teeth, as well as to level the surface. No longer useful as a hand file on the bench, but a darn fine tool to use on the lathe, where the roundness of the parts allows the remaining edge of the tooth to catch some material.


Cheers
Trev
 
trevj said:
Read an interesting articlle on taking a fine hard stone to the teeth of the file after it has served it's time. Essentially, to take the tops off all the teeth, as well as to level the surface. No longer useful as a hand file on the bench, but a darn fine tool to use on the lathe, where the roundness of the parts allows the remaining edge of the tooth to catch some material.


Cheers
Trev
Click to expand...

Also quite useful as a burr file. When you have a raised burr on a flat piece of metal, those will take the burrs off without damaging the parent metal if you use them carefully.
 
I've found a fine rotary wire wheel on a bench grinder works well; remember the correct angle of attack or you'll just make the file dull.

Vinegar works fine for both de-rusting and etch-sharpening at the same time. Scrub under hot water with a wire brush after a few days soaking and dry with a torch or on top of the wood stove.

Important point is not to let files touch as being of equal hardness they chip and dull each other on contact. Surprising how many people toss files in a drawer together and then wonder why they don't cut well.

Loading a file with chalk before you work on soft materials like aluminum reduces the clogging as well.

The sort of stuff they used to teach in grade 8 shop class. ;)
 
Ron Smith (RKS Barrels) taught me this years ago only thing is we use pure acid not diluted and only in for 5 minutes or so........ then kill the process in Baking soda water mix......
wonderful results.......
sst
 
singleshotom said:
Ron Smith (RKS Barrels) taught me this years ago only thing is we use pure acid not diluted and only in for 5 minutes or so........ then kill the process in Baking soda water mix......
wonderful results.......
sst
Click to expand...

but then he also makes gun barrels out of rebar. :)

Grizz
 
The copper pipe works good, but a squarshed rifle shell works better and you can make one for each pitch.
Dont ruin your files works good to, I keep a ruined file for testing material hardness. Test the material to determine if it can be filed.
 
BigUglyMan said:
I was thinking that you could heat your old file to 2200F, hit it with a hammer a significant amount, grind it to shape, heat to 1950F, quench in canola oil, sharpen and have a knife. Turning a file into a knife makes it significantly sharper.
Click to expand...

Anzo does it....
AZJWK3FE.jpg
 
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