file sharpening service!!!

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
6,009
I stumbled across a thread on a machinist forum regarding a file sharpening service. Most of my files are shot, and many of them were my grandfather's and are 40 or 50 years old - or older!

I sent out 14 files to Boggs Tool & File Sharpening Company, 14100 Orange Avenue, Paramount, CA 90723 on January 24th. At least 5 of the files were what I would have thought were spent, including a couple mill bastards and a big rat tail file that was my grandfather's.
I just took th old files and wrapped them in newspaper, rolling one from the corner and then adding another each time the roll covered the first one, taped them up good and tight, and boxed them up. I dropped a note in the box asking them to contact me about payment. The invoice asked me to mention how many files I was sending in the package next time.

I received them back today, and I can't tell you how impressed I am. Even the ones they marked as 'rejects' (meaning "please don't send us these again, there's not much left in them") came back sharp enough to use, and the good ones are sharper than when they were new!!!!

Better still, this service is so darn cheap it borders on lunacy. All 14 files including shipping back to me cost $24.82!!!!! You can't buy one good file for that cheap...


Check them out - it's absolutely painless and the files are hella sharp!
 
Sounds cool. I'd love to see a WIP on how they do it.
 
if i heard my seniour machine trades teacher right, i think they are acid etched to resharpen them. i might have to check into that.
 
BTW, I happen to know that if you give Matt a monster and a file card he'll clean up all of your stuff.
 
AcridSaint said:
BTW, I happen to know that if you give Matt a monster and a file card he'll clean up all of your stuff.
Click to expand...

Did i have a Monster then? Probably... I can destroy things with mind power when I drink that vile fluid!
 
I'm sorry, I don't understand ???
Why do you get them sharpened if you are just going to grind the teeth off when making a knife? Files make good knives ,right? I hear they are almost as good as saw blades. I got to make a camp fire and aneil me some new blad stele.I think I red that ed fowler puts them in the frige to amke them hard again.Makes sense, hot = soft, cold=hard.



Seriously, Boggs has been around forever as a sharpening company. While the files aren't going to last like they were new, it does give them extended life. IIRC, they have some sort of pressure washing setup with an abrasive acid, that etches up the teeth real agressively.

Many years ago, I had a business partner from Roanoke, VA. His "Uncle Frank" was in the rural sales business, where they hire college kids for summer work, and take them out in the country to sell everything from Bibles to fans, to farmers and rural route people. They teach the kids how to sell almost everything to people who really don't want or need the item. This guy was like Mr. Haney, and could have come right out of "Green Acers". They sold everything on the installment system, $1 down and a dollar a month......for years........(Plus intrest and 200% late fees)
One product he was selling was a "Magic File Sharpening Dip". It cost $25 for a gallon, and would make any file brand new. According to the sales pitch, it paid for itself the first batch of files you re-sharpened with it. I asked him what was in it, and he said it was $2 of battery acid and red dye #3. Funny thing was that it actually worked....until the acid was depleted.
 
A tale similar to Stacy's... I once worked for a chemical supply company that among other things, sold a product called Blue Degreaser. A basic but very effective liquid cleaner, it went for around $5/gallon* with our label. We sold it by the case to a fellow who put his label on it and sold it to bars and restaurants for $30/gallon*. Genius!

*numbers are approximate, this was several years ago... you get the idea.
 
... I guess I get the analogies, however I've tried the battery acid method in the past and it didn't work the way this has. Rather than spending approximately $125 to replace all of these files, I spent $25 and got all of them to where they work like they're new (tested a couple late last night, in fact).
The system Boggs uses is an abrasive blast media with a liquid suspension that acts as a buffer.

Sorry guys, but I can't seem to see the 'buyer beware' part of your input as valid. Am I missing something?
 
this had me thinking can you get custom files made of M42 or cpm10v
seems to be that good files are harder to find these days and onece you got a few good ones you might be set

jsut thinking sorry if its a derail
 
Awesome post my friend! I've heard of outfits that would etch them to sharpen but had never actually heard a name of a REAL company doing it.

I figured the price would be prohibitive, but getting several sharpened for the price of one new, quality file is almost hard to believe!

Will definitely be sending them some files to check it out.

THANKS Matt!!! :) :cool: :)
 
BTW, Boggs does a helluva job on end mills and stuff too.

Used them quite a bit working in machine shops.

Only sent files once, with very low expectations.
They came back sharp!
It was a nice surprise.
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Sorry guys, but I can't seem to see the 'buyer beware' part of your input as valid. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Can't speak for Stacy but I was just jabbering off-topic. Sorry, I didn't mean to disparage that company or their services. :eek:
 
I've always wondered about this as I have a toolbox drawer full, many from my grandfather. Thank you for posting the info and your evaluation of their services!! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
Hey to you as well, Nathan.

Matt - I don't know if there was monster involved, it might have just been me hallucinating on the stuff.

Been doing any bird hunting or just squirrels?
 
BTW, since the steel is being resharpened, I can't see it being much different than a new file unless it's either very shallow hardened or the new teeth are significantly thinner. I'm sure that the overall life of the file is degraded, because you've removed material, but it's got to beat paying 30 bucks every time you dull one.
 
As a gunsmith I had literally hundreds of files in the shop. I ran across Boggs at a machine tool show back in 87-88. I sent a 50LB box of "dead" files off, figuring they'd never come back, but what's the loss? I was still using those files 4 years later. Some of the best money I ever spent. I've used them since, and never had a complaint.
 
AcridSaint said:
Been doing any bird hunting or just squirrels?
Click to expand...

Hunting? I don't own a gun.

Oh, you meant THAT gun.

Well, it isn't loaded.

It is?

Oh.

Well, either way, I wouldn't shoot a red tail hawk. It's my favorite bird!

Maybe it was my son-in-law...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top