Files

Walt2

Walt2

Joined
Mar 13, 2001
Messages
1,157
I have never made a knife blade from a file before. I have thought about trying to draw a file enough to reduce the tendency to break. Most files can be broken by whacking them on the corner of a work bench or a corner of a steel plate. Anyone have any ideas on temp and times to do this and still make a blade worth using?
 
Walt2 said:
I have never made a knife blade from a file before. I have thought about trying to draw a file enough to reduce the tendency to break. Most files can be broken by whacking them on the corner of a work bench or a corner of a steel plate. Anyone have any ideas on temp and times to do this and still make a blade worth using?
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Knowing what steel it's made from would help.:thumbup:
 
If it is a good quility file ie simond or nickelson 400deg for 2 hours twice should do it.
Cheap file who knows cause you dont have any idea what there made of or if they are just case hardened.
Hope this helps
Stan
 
If you have a cut-off saw or angle grinder with cut-off blades, taking a short piece off the tip, then etching will show if the file has been carburized... would be a dark line around perimeter if it has been (from Wayne Goddard).

Fully hardened files range from about 0.95% to 1.25% carbon. Charts/tables in Heat Treaters Guide for 1095 show tempered hardness of 65 HRc at 300F, 62 HRc at 450F, 57.5 HRc at 600 from "as hardened" of 67 HRc. The change between the temps is relatively proportional.

I think a person can reasonably assume fully hardened file hardness of 65-67 HRc as common from industry quality control. The same tempering temperatures as above on "as hardened" 65 HRc would give 63 HRc and 60 HRc and 55.8 HRc... or about that.

Mike
 
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In my opinion. Does the file have a special meaning? MY suggestion is always spend the ten bucks and get a good piece of steel that you know what it is. Dont get me wrong. I think your design of knife that may need the designs of the cut of the file. The first file I made a knife with will become a knife for me.
As a general rule. I don't mess with anything that i don't know what it is.
 
You have heard that curiosity killed the cat. I am just curious about what kind of knife a Nicholson file would produce. I have always used D2, M4, 3V or Cpm 154 in the past.
 
I was always under that most files worth a damn are made from D2 tool steel.

I do know that the vast majority of brake rotors are made from D2, and to the best of my observation they are the same to grind.

In any case, I used to make knives from files and brake rotors all the time and I still make small parts out of them. And when heat treated like D2 they produce a very wear resistant,tough blade that holds a pretty good edge.

And most importantly, they're dirt cheap or free so they're great for practice or experimentation.
 
Walt2 said:
You have heard that curiosity killed the cat. I am just curious about what kind of knife a Nicholson file would produce. I have always used D2, M4, 3V or Cpm 154 in the past.
Click to expand...

Walt,

If it's a Nicholson file and says "black diamond" on it, it will make a knife like 1.25% carbon steel. Most Nicholson files (not big rasps, like horse shoer's rasps) will make a knife like todays standard W1... 1.00%C. That comes from a thread on a knife forum posting a quoted response from Nicholson.

Mike
 
Sorry for the late response, had to go out of town for a few days. Thanks for all the replies. One of these days when I get the time I will try using a file.
 
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