Half Round Rasp or 4 In Hand

marbat said:
I use a Nicholson #50 and it works for me but then it's the only one I have but I do recommend it.
Here I am in the process of making a handle for my 6 ft bucking saw out of an old sledge hammer handle.
Click to expand...

That one is a finer toothed version of the #49 that I've been using. Mine could be sharper but it still seems to work well. I'm on the lookout for these now. In the past I would have just grabbed some because oh look cheap old files, but now I'm keeping my eye open for these specifically.
 
I've not tried the method, but many will etch their files and rasps to sharpen them. There are a few different acids that are often used for the task, but the type does matter since the ones you want are ones that etch the surface uniformly.
 
There's also a company, Save Edge, that uses some sort of proprietary process to sharpen files and rasps.
 
I actually tossed a few $1 rusty flea market USA Nicholson's in vinegar not that long ago as they seems like they were good but had a good amount of rust and clogging and I thought I would give it a shot. A 24 hour soak did, in fact, clean the rust as well as make them noticeably sharper. I doubt it's as nice a job as having them sent out, but it brought them back to life and they've been putting in work on hardened bits since.
 
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