How do you care for and store your best files?

R

river251

Joined
Jul 26, 2013
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I decided to make my own jig that will let me use a file to put an initial edge on my knives at any desired angle, so I can use my Spyderco sharpmaker thereafter to keep them sharp.

I did a little research and ended up with some Nicholson USA New Old Stock files from Ebay.

How do I protect these from rusting? Do you put oil on your files? WD 40? PB Blaster? Gun oil? 3-1 oil? Mineral oil? Or just leave them dry? I will wrap them in cloth during storage. I'm particular about taking care of my stuff.

Thanks for any advice.

Jim
 
Don't oil them, they will clog up too easily and be hard to keep clean. A little bit of surface rust and discoloring won't really affect the file, so as long as they are mostly taken care it's fine. Just make sure they are dry and give them a good brushing after use to clean the teeth and keep them stored in a drawer or somewhere closed off to the environment and in a way so they aren't loose and able to freely slide and bang around with each other when opening and closing the drawer, which would damage the files. Make a small divider in a drawer for each file and use a soft material (if the drawer made of metal) for the bottom, or something else you can think of. I'm sure there are plenty of ideas out there already for how guys properly store there file so there should be plenty of choices to choose from. You could even get something like a block of Styrofoam to fit in a drawer and cut a small channel part way through press the files into them to form a place for the file to file snugly in.

To clean the file teeth, I use the"softer" brush side of a file card as well as a piece of copper pipe that's been flattened on one end which have the profile of the file teeth formed into the end (by sliding is back and forth on the file parallel with the teeth) in order to clean our any more stubborn chunks of steel. It's cheap and easy to make, nothing special about it being a pipe instead of some bar stock, it's just usually something guys already have scraps of on hand and it's much softer than the file so it wont dull the teeth, although it can rub off some of the copper on the bottom of the teeth and sorta it "color" a copper color just a bit, it won't hinder it's use any.

I don't recommend using the steel brush side of a file card because it can lead to premature dulling of the teeth. The softer yet stiff brush on the backside of it along with the copper are able to keep them clean. You need a separate piece of copper for each different file tooth pattern and length, so the teeth formed in the copper will specifically match the teeth for each type of file, or you can just reshape the end for each file since it's pretty fast to do. It's easier/faster than it may sound, you can do a quick google search if you're not to sure what I'm talking about.. There may even be some Youtube vids on it.

Here is a link with a few pictures of examples of a few different types of file cleaners made from brass, copper, and mild steel: https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/sharpening-files/
I think brass and copper would be better choices simply because they are much softer, but it may not matter too much.

I just used some ~3/4" copper pipe since it what I had on hand. Different diameter pipe will be wider or more narrow depending on the size before flattening, and the wider it is the more teeth you can clean at once, the more narrow that more precise you can be with the cleaning and apply more pressure to the smaller area.


Another quick tip: Never store your files on a magnetic strip, this will magnetize them and make them basically useless since all of the steel filings will stick to the file which causes tons of pinning in the file when in use and thus galling on the surface that's being filed. I accidentally magnetized one of my files (thankfully a pretty bad one) that I used for things I wouldn't use a good file on and it was pretty frustrating until I realized it had been magnetized.. I think I just set my welding magnet that I use for tapering tang too close to it and it pulled the file to it... woops!

It's more than what you asked for but I figure it can't hurt to share a bit just in case you're not already aware :thumbsup:


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
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I do have a quick (and probably fairly obvious) question as well, are you planning on sharpening hardened blades? If so, for the most part a smooth and smaller single-cut mill file would probably be the most promising for cutting hardened steel as they work better on harder steel since they take much smaller shaving off of the steel, and something coarser like a bastard file won't do much but merely slide over the surface and dull.

I would personally recommend using the file jig set up but instead of attaching a file to the handle, just use something like a narrow sharpening stones. Files are great for shaping and filing in bevels prior to hardening, but are a bit coarse and not too efficient on hardened steel. They won't last as long either by using them on hardened steel as it will dull the teeth much faster.

You can buy a bunch of different types, sizes, and grits of EDM stones for example from somewhere like Gesswein and could get them all in the same thickness so the angle remains the same on the jig for each stone: https://www.gesswein.com/p-9284-gesswein-edm-stones.aspx

Just a suggestion :)

~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
Thanks so much for the thorough replies Paul. I think I will follow your advice, as it seems your greater experience provides rationale for doing things a little differently.

As to hardened steel, well, these are knives ranging from Cold Steel, Benchmade, Buck, and Zero Tolerance. I think most of these knives do have hardened steel. Other knives in the collection are 440, or often I don't know what, as they were much cheaper and came from China or even Pakistan. I also have chef knives including Tramontina from Walmart (surely Chinese) to Messermeister from Germany.
So yes hardened steel will be sharpened, and I am going to do a little redisigning of my jig to allow using a stone. I will try to find a long one so I can make long strokes. The whole point is to put an edge on quickly. I sadly bought a Lansky kit from Sportsman's Warehouse as it was on sale. The nut for tightening the blade interfered with the stone. And it was such a flimsy outfit that on a cheap Chinese knife, I worked it for a full day and never got the shallower bevel I was putting on to reach the edge. That's when I decided to make something that could do that quickly.
Thanks again for the great advice. Sound OK to get a long, coarse stone to do this with?
 
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coldsteelburns said:
If so, for the most part a smooth and smaller single-cut mill file would probably be the most promising for cutting hardened steel as they work better on harder steel since they take much smaller shaving off of the steel, and something coarser like a bastard file won't do much but merely slide over the surface and dull.
Click to expand...


Paul, these old stock Nicholsons I got are big 14" files but they are smooth mill files with very fine single cut teeth. Do you still think they would have a hard time with my hardened blades?

It never occurred to me that my blades might be as hard as the file (or more), and the subsequent problems that would entail.

Maybe sticking to stones is better. I just bought a welder and will have plenty of uses for the files.

Thanks
Jim
 
river251 said:
Paul, these old stock Nicholsons I got are big 14" files but they are smooth mill files with very fine single cut teeth. Do you still think they would have a hard time with my hardened blades?

It never occurred to me that my blades might be as hard as the file (or more), and the subsequent problems that would entail.

Maybe sticking to stones is better. I just bought a welder and will have plenty of uses for the files.

Thanks
Jim
Click to expand...


No problem, Jim, I'm always glad to try and help out others, as I've received plenty of it myself here over the years :thumbsup:

Those types of blades shouldn't be harder than the file, but depending on the specific steel used some may be pretty close to it, like if it's an m390 blade or other high alloy at a high hardness with harder carbides and such like some Zero Tolerance and Benchmade folders may use. For the Bucks and fixed blades from Cold Steel, a file would probably cut them decently, but it may still dull it a bit prematurely as opposed to using it on annealed steel and mild steel etc.

You can give it a try though to see if you like how it works. I know guys will mostly use files to sharpen things like machetes, axes, (and even lawnmower) blades, and edges tools made to withstand high impact, but that's because the mass produced ones are generally left quite a bit softer for the general public to be able to abuse them without breaking, but they won't hold an edge compared to something like a custom blade with the proper heat treatment and edge geometry etc. Not saying all of them are like that, but the majority are. It's just a good thing to keep in mind when speaking with knife makers, who usually have much higher standards of heat treatment and geometry, so they/we naturally have higher expectations of a knife's performance and may consider a knife that a lot of people find work great for them and their use to be somewhat inferior.

Regarding using longer stones for longer strokes, it's not that important to make longer strokes, especially when trying to remove material faster, which you can simply using a "scrubbing" back and forth motion (or circular) along the edge even with a shorter 6" stone. Once you get the edge geometry to where you want it you can also switch to more of a side-to-side motion with the higher grits, sliding it parallel with the edge, while still using different areas of the stone to avoid wearing a groove into the stone.

Not sure if folders are also what you have in mind, but for those I would skip the idea of using a file all together on those since they are much shorter blades and a coarser stone would be ideal for any edge re-profiling on those, plus they are more likely to be made with a "super steel" than fixed blades, but of course it all depends on the individual blade and its manufacturer.

Just remember that w/e you use, if you plan on using more than a single grit to sharpen and refine the edge, it's important to make sure they are all the same thickness so that the angle won't change each time you switch to a different stone/grit.

Here is another link for some "EDM" stones, where can actually but one at of time instead of need to get 12 of each grit like it appears you have to do Gesswein (link in my reply above): https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/categories/get-subcategory/?id=14

For example, I would get the 1 X 1/2 X 6" stones, or you could save about a dollar and get the 1/4" thickness.

This is just one idea, as there are plenty of other choices and types of "EDM" type stones made from different materials, and there are a lot of guys who take this pretty seriously and know a lot about how well different stones work and for what steel they work best on etc, and like to buy and use their own stones for things like the edge pro apex sharpening jig, which is essentially a mini-sized file jig with specific adjustments, as are most of the guided sharpening systems. These types of subjects (sharpening, stones, sharpening systems, etc.) are often discussed over in the "Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment" subform, which you may find some helpful info at as well. Here is a link to that subforum: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/maintenance-tinkering-embellishment.794/

FWIW, here is a quote from Congress Tool (the link above) that I found in a post from another thread on here discussing the usefulness of their stones for sharpening:

Here's the email response I got from Congress:

Unfortunately we do not have any expertise in the Knife Sharpening trade. Our stones are manufactured for industrial applications. The knife sharpeners have stumbled upon our stones and have found them to be quote useful. We have received a lot of positive feedback from the Knife Sharpening trade for our Moldmaster and also RUBY stones. Additionally, for a final stone finish, our FLEX-600 stone is very popular.
Best regards,
CONGRESS TOOLS, Inc.
Mark Froelick
Click to expand...


Let us know if you have any other questions and I'll see if I can help ya answer any of them.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
coldsteelburns said:
No problem, Jim, I'm always glad to try and help out others, as I've received plenty of it myself here over the years :thumbsup:

Those types of blades shouldn't be harder than the file, but depending on the specific steel used some may be pretty close to it, like if it's an m390 blade or other high alloy at a high hardness with harder carbides and such like some Zero Tolerance and Benchmade folders may use. For the Bucks and fixed blades from Cold Steel, a file would probably cut them decently, but it may still dull it a bit prematurely as opposed to using it on annealed steel and mild steel etc.

You can give it a try though to see if you like how it works. I know guys will mostly use files to sharpen things like machetes, axes, (and even lawnmower) blades, and edges tools made to withstand high impact, but that's because the mass produced ones are generally left quite a bit softer for the general public to be able to abuse them without breaking, but they won't hold an edge compared to something like a custom blade with the proper heat treatment and edge geometry etc. Not saying all of them are like that, but the majority are. It's just a good thing to keep in mind when speaking with knife makers, who usually have much higher standards of heat treatment and geometry, so they/we naturally have higher expectations of a knife's performance and may consider a knife that a lot of people find work great for them and their use to be somewhat inferior.

Regarding using longer stones for longer strokes, it's not that important to make longer strokes, especially when trying to remove material faster, which you can simply using a "scrubbing" back and forth motion (or circular) along the edge even with a shorter 6" stone. Once you get the edge geometry to where you want it you can also switch to more of a side-to-side motion with the higher grits, sliding it parallel with the edge, while still using different areas of the stone to avoid wearing a groove into the stone.

Not sure if folders are also what you have in mind, but for those I would skip the idea of using a file all together on those since they are much shorter blades and a coarser stone would be ideal for any edge re-profiling on those, plus they are more likely to be made with a "super steel" than fixed blades, but of course it all depends on the individual blade and its manufacturer.

Just remember that w/e you use, if you plan on using more than a single grit to sharpen and refine the edge, it's important to make sure they are all the same thickness so that the angle won't change each time you switch to a different stone/grit.

Here is another link for some "EDM" stones, where can actually but one at of time instead of need to get 12 of each grit like it appears you have to do Gesswein (link in my reply above): https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/categories/get-subcategory/?id=14

For example, I would get the 1 X 1/2 X 6" stones, or you could save about a dollar and get the 1/4" thickness.

This is just one idea, as there are plenty of other choices and types of "EDM" type stones made from different materials, and there are a lot of guys who take this pretty seriously and know a lot about how well different stones work and for what steel they work best on etc, and like to buy and use their own stones for things like the edge pro apex sharpening jig, which is essentially a mini-sized file jig with specific adjustments, as are most of the guided sharpening systems. These types of subjects (sharpening, stones, sharpening systems, etc.) are often discussed over in the "Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment" subform, which you may find some helpful info at as well. Here is a link to that subforum: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/maintenance-tinkering-embellishment.794/

FWIW, here is a quote from Congress Tool (the link above) that I found in a post from another thread on here discussing the usefulness of their stones for sharpening:




Let us know if you have any other questions and I'll see if I can help ya answer any of them.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
Click to expand...
Thanks again for the education, Paul. Much appreciated. When I finish my jig prototype, I'll post a picture of it on that other subforum you linked.

JIm
 
I don't take the best care of my files because the stainless steels like s30v, s35vn, and even cpm154 are pretty hard on them and wear out sooner or later especially the vanadium steels. I buy most of my files at what ever box store has them the cheapest usually Farm and Fleet. Anyhow after I'm done using them for the day I wire brush them and sprat them with WD40 or some other type of oil to keep them from rusting and put them away. Once they wear to the point I feel I need a new one I either give them to some one who use them for knife blades or repurpose them into something else I might need like a chisel or a scraper.
 
Paul, since I am only getting the bevel with this jig, and the final edge will be installed and maintained with my spyderco sharpmaker once I get the right angle on, I'm thinking about getting the Congress 1x1/2x6 stones, in 120 and 220. Do you think I need to work up to a finer grit before switching to the spyderco medium grit?

I don't use the white fine stones with the spyderco or use a leather strop any more, I prefer a little "teeth" or "bite" in my edge. Yes I can approach the sharpness of a razor blade or scalpel (like to keep a good metal scalpel with disposable blades around, way sharper and cheaper than x-acto) if I work on a smooth edge, but it does not cut as fast as an edge from the medium grit spyderco stones on the stuff I usually cut (cardboard packages, etc.).

Is it going to be a huge leap from 220 to the spyderco medium? They are only $5 so no big deal to get some finer grit stones but I hate buying something that will sit around unused, taking up space if I can avoid it.

Jim
 
Thank you Scott. Do you know what kind of steel an old Nicholson is? Curious since you mentioned making knives out of them. Does one grind the file into shape on an electric stone grinder?

That knife in your avatar is beautiful, a perfect form. Do you have a website? The facebook page did not work for me.
 
river251 said:
Thank you Scott. Do you know what kind of steel an old Nicholson is? Curious since you mentioned making knives out of them. Does one grind the file into shape on an electric stone grinder?

That knife in your avatar is beautiful, a perfect form. Do you have a website? The facebook page did not work for me.
Click to expand...
I played around a bit many years ago with saw blades and files and did not seem to have real good luck and switch over to stainless steels, 440c,154cm, ATS34, s30v, s35vn cpm154, and AEB-l are my main steels. I buy it annealed and find the blades and have them professionally heat treated. I thought the old Nicholson files were 1095, I'm not sure what the new Nicholson's are, I heard they were some sort of case hardened steel. No website yet but try that Facebook link again, it works for me if not my FB page is same name and photos as my avatar, or go into my profile here on Blade Forums and check out my album if you like.
 
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Thanks Scott, it may be that I'm not a member of facebook. I'll check your album on bladeforum. Thank you.

Jim
 
river251 said:
Paul, since I am only getting the bevel with this jig, and the final edge will be installed and maintained with my spyderco sharpmaker once I get the right angle on, I'm thinking about getting the Congress 1x1/2x6 stones, in 120 and 220. Do you think I need to work up to a finer grit before switching to the spyderco medium grit?

I don't use the white fine stones with the spyderco or use a leather strop any more, I prefer a little "teeth" or "bite" in my edge. Yes I can approach the sharpness of a razor blade or scalpel (like to keep a good metal scalpel with disposable blades around, way sharper and cheaper than x-acto) if I work on a smooth edge, but it does not cut as fast as an edge from the medium grit spyderco stones on the stuff I usually cut (cardboard packages, etc.).

Is it going to be a huge leap from 220 to the spyderco medium? They are only $5 so no big deal to get some finer grit stones but I hate buying something that will sit around unused, taking up space if I can avoid it.

Jim
Click to expand...


I think that would be fine, although I personally would also get a 400 just to have in case some edges/steel benefited from just a bit more refinement, but I'm not too sure what the grit equivalent the Spyderco ceramic (medium) stones are. It couldn't hurt to have it. Don't forget that you can also try the "Moldmaster" stones they have, which are apparently also popular among knife sharpening as mentioned by the owner in that email quote above. They are the same price and made from silicon carbide, the orange EDM stone are a hard aluminum oxide. Here is a link to the Moldmaster stones: https://www.congresstools.com/catalog/categories/get-subcategory/?id=27

Not trying to make things more complicated, just letting ya know that they have more than one type of stone. FWIW, here is the link to the thread where I found that quote from and where other guys mention their like for the Moldmaster stones, although I personally can't comment as too which I like better since I've never tried either of those specific stones for sharpening: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/congress-tool-sharpening-stones-for-edge-pro-apex.1044289/

I like a toothier edge as well, and what I've personally found great to finish and maintain a nice toothy edge is a length of wood as a "strop", such as poplar (I personally use a piece of 1 1/2" x 1/4" x 15 1/2" poplar, which is just one of the sizes they had either at Lowes, HD, or a craft store, I honestly forget) and I just apply some black emery buffing compound to it to strop my edges on. This gives me an edge that actually has that "sharp" feeling, or bite rather, when you lightly slide you fingers along the edge. The wood has a tiny amount of give to it with provides for a little bit of forgiveness if your angle is slightly off, and it accepts the compound nicely. Particle board works nice as well, and you don't need to worry too much about it not being flat since it usually is pretty darn flat. I just flat sanded the side on the poplar stick I use. Anyway, I thick if you tried some of the black emery compound you might like it, it's pretty coarse for a buffing compound and made for harder steel; it's all I use now for stropping.

As for your other question about the steel type of Nicholson files, I actually just posted this reply to another thread yesterday. It's a comment made by Aldo Bruno regarding the subject, who is a popular steel supplier for knife makers and owner of New Jersey Steel Baron. Here is what he said about the steel type:

The present day Nicholson files are 1095. So are the Black Diamonds. They were a company that Nicholson bought a long time ago. They left the name for the sake of sales. At the time they were using a 1.30 carbon steel that was produced for them by Bethlehem. At one point they came up with new processing,but the 1.30 Carbon steel was cracking with the new process. It was decided to use the 1095 which works fine. The older files were 72/74 RockwellC. The new ones come in at 65RC. If you want to make a knife out of 1095, call me! The time you save alone is worth it! ....unless you have your heart set on making a file knife! Then by all means buy a Nicholson or Black Diamond. Be sure not to use a rasp though! They are made out of CASE HARDENED 1045.
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I'm not too sure about what year they specifically switched from the the 1.3 carbon steel to 1095, but most of the new old stock (NOS) I've seen available on Ebay are usually still fairly new as you can tell from the packaging, so they are probably ones made from 1095 for the most part, unless they are some really old Black Diamond files before they were purchased by Nicholson. Don't quote me on that, but I'm sure the majority are 1095. When I first got into knife making around 2010 they were still being made in the USA, so even ones from that time period and prior can be considered as NOS.


The files can get ground into a knife shape with a belt sander, preferably a belt grinder with ceramic abrasives if trying to preserve the original heat treatment, and can be simply cooled off in a bucket of water every couple of passes to avoid over-heating the steel and ruining its temper. Or they can be annealed in a forge or even a camp fire, though not ideal, which softens the steel enough to be able to be shaped with other files. There are a lot of past threads about how to make a knife from a file here on BF if you are more curious as to what it can involve. If you're not already aware, the best way to search Bladeforums is by using the custom Google search engine, here is a link to that: https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=012217165931761871935:iqyc7cbzhci

If ya a quick search for "how to make a file knife" or something similar, you will probably find 100s of threads since it's a pretty popular topic, especially among newer knife makers wanting to try their hand at it. It's what I used to make my first few knives as well, but it's generally recommended that new makers start off with some 1084 carbon steel if doing the heat treating by their self in a forge (i.e. without much experience or equipment for achieving and holding at precise temperatures), since it is the most simple and forgiving steel to heat treat.

Hope that helps.



~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
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Thanks again Paul. I note that in that thread they talk about mounting the stones to aluminum bar stock. Any idea how that's done?

Thanks again for your reply, you answer a great number of questions and I feel have gotten me in the right direction on my sharpener.

As for making a knife from a file, that was just curiosity. I'm very happy with my knives, most especially my EDC, a Benchmade 665.
I have started limiting my hobbies to two or three main ones, and try to resist interesting new ones. Besides, I can't imagine needing anything more than the knife I carry, though it would be fun to make one.
Jim
 
Hey no problem, here's one thread I found after a quick search:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/edge-pro-stone-separated-from-blank.1074808/


It sounds like some 2 part epoxy or some medium to thick super glue would work as well, or even contact cement. If it comes off you can always give it a clean clean and then reapply it. Or you could even use a couple of zip ties at the ends if you wanted to be able to remove the stones. A more complicated way would be to use a stone bench grinder to grind a 45 degree dovetail on the side of the stone that will be mated to the aluminum and then create o couple of dovetail ends (using chunks of aluminum or micarta, or plastic etc) to epoxy to the end of the aluminum bar and just slide the stone through the side of the holder and it will stay in place. I forget which sharpening system does this by I know at least one of them uses something like a dovetail to hold their stones in place, that way you only have to use one holder and can just swap out the stones to change grits.

Actually, I just found this as well from another thread:

To attach the stones just buy some 3M Super 77 spray,just spray a good coat on the blank and wait the time it say's on the can then press the stone into place and your done,the 3M Super 77 spray is what others use when they make stones to sell mounted on blanks,I have soaked stones for a longtime mounted with that spray and they never come loose,also using the spray is very fast and easy you only need to hold down on the stone for 6 to 10 seconds max and your done.
Click to expand...

Just make sure to protect the face and the sides of the stone with something like tape while spraying the glue if you go that route.



You can find all sorts of ideas for homemade sharpening jigs and so on. Here is one thread that started in 2012 and has posts up to 2019 of all kinds of different ideas of things guys have made and used to sharpen their knives, some are very similar to the way the Spyderco Sharpmaker works:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/lets-see-your-home-made-knife-sharpening-devices.975542/

One more thing, I would definitely keep a file away from that Benchmade, and really any folding knife. A file should really only be used for serious edge damage and re-profiling on a larger fix blades with plenty of "meat" at the edge/blade where a lot of steel needs to be removed for it to be fixed. It's a fairly crude way to sharpen nice knives, even lager ones that are more expensive, but will work especially well (or fast, rather) on something like a mass produced machete that's been used pretty hard and needs some serious edge repairing. A coarse stone will work plenty fast and is much more suitable if you wanted to re-profile an edge like the one on the Benchmade.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
I have a dedicated place for my files to lay on the side of my workbenches. It is a bit higher so the handles are above the surface of the workbench.

IMG-20190511-120959.jpg


IMG-20190511-121005.jpg
 
Hi Paul, I've been on a bit of a journey with sharpening, and am now back with a sort of question, sort of report.

I have watched so many videos and read so many websites about sharpening now. I have also ventured deeply into magnification. Here is a thread I started on it,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/suggest-a-microscope-for-examining-my-edge.1665326/
and in my penultimate post near the bottom you can read how I bought a new AmScope binocular compound microscope with USB camera to attach to one lens, that retails for ~$450, for $12 on ebay...as well as an explanation of why I think I might be able to get that compound scope to work for looking at edges.

But I digress....

So I bought a water stone with 200 and 500 grit, and tried it on my cheap Chinese fixed blade from ebay. I wanted to put a new 15 degree edge on it. Well I worked for at least a couple evenings and never got to an apex, and I created a convex profile because I wasn't keeping the angle constant. I was getting frustrated, and the Nicholson files were sitting next to me, and I grabbed one to try. I recalled from our discussion that there was a reason why that was not a good idea, but I did not recall that it was because it could damage the file. Had I remember that, I may still have tried the file because the knife is cheap and mustn't have expensive steal. I think I paid $10 on ebay but I do really like it and want it sharp so it can stay on the end table next to my primary chair.

Well, it really cut the blade, at first, but now I have to eveningis with that, and it is not cutting as well, I'm pretty sure. I think it did damage the file. Glad I only tried the one file, and now wish I hadn't.

So my question is, how can I verify whether the file is dulled? I have some hot rolled sheet metal left over from my welding classes. It's the only steel I can think of that I have that will not be hardened at all; I could try the file on that I suppose.

Thanks for any thoughts or insight.

I decided in the end to get a water wheel grinder like the Tormek but cheaper.

I'm not inclined to try and sharpen my Benchmade and other good kniives free hand, after seeing it trash the blade on my cheap fixed blade.
 
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