Jimping

[jtwodogs]

Looking for a 20 lpi file to cut jimping in a non HT blade.
I looked at checkering files but afraid to soft for high carbon steel

 

[A.McPherson]

There are a couple of styles of checkering files. There are the stock checkering files, which MIGHT work.
Then there are checkering files for checkering pistol handles (not the wood, the metal) and those will work well on steel as as long as it's not been heat treated.
Gorbet has several different ones, I'm sure other manufacturers do as well.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You want a Grobet 6" X 45/64" 20LPI hand checkering file. Amazon has them. They run about $40-45.

 

[Hengelo_77]

One tip on using them, move as many times left-right as you go right-left.
That will keep the jimping straight

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

20-LPI Jimping file photos and what it does. Each pass cuts deeper. In te phootos you see three passes with the file. Each cuts deeper and cleaner. Once the cuts are done, more filing will only make it worse. The depth of the teeth is the limit. When dome, it leaves a slight flat top and a clean slightly rounded valley.
Using a file guide to keep the strokes all aligned is a good technique if you aren't proficient with one.

 

[JDWARE]

Additional tips on checkering files:

Before using them for the first time, the edges of the files usually need to be "dressed" ie ground down, because the teeth on the edges are not always a complete row. If used that way, the file will leave an incomplete, or shallow, cut at the ends. Brownells has a good set of instructions here https://feeds.brownells.com/userdocs/learn/076-200-277.pdf

Once done with the checkering file, if you carefully go back over each V with a three square needle file, you can really sharpen up the cuts.

Finish the spine of the blade as close to final fisish as possible before checkering. I ususally take the spine to 400 grit, then cut with checkering file, then needle file, then harden. After hardening, clean up by hand with 400, 600, 1200 and lightly polish with grey and then green compounds to mirror polish the spine. The polishing does take the sharp points off.

Below is a blade cut with 20LPI checkering file, cleaned with a needle file, then hardened and polished as described.

Saludos
J

https://imgur.com/AL9Nl2N

 

[Fixedwing]

I made a jimping jig today for the small knives I've been making. It is drop from a 1095 bar and it will get heat treated. Then I can clamp it to a blank and get consistent results.

 

[DeadPineKnives]

Grobet checkering file should work on annealed steel.