Knives made from files ????

jll346

jll346

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
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I am curious if using old files are a good material to try and make knives. I know Anza does. I just went to a home that had "BIG" very coarse files they use on horses hoofs. I guess when they wear down they chuck them.....Into a huge pile. There are litterally thousands of them piled up in a barn. They said they have been throwng them there for years and said if I had a use for them to back my truck up and help myself. If they can be used to some extent I could have 5 lifetimes worth of files to mess with. I have always wanted to try making knives so I am ordering a grinder. When I saw this pile of steel, a light bulb went off. Any help would be great......
 
I collected all the files from the cage making room at the bearing factory I used to work at. I had an advantage though, since I knew the tool representative and he was able to identify the steel type as W2 for me.

You can certainly try them. You could either look at the makers name on the files and contact them to find out the steel type ( a tedious process if there are many different brands involved).

If you have a forge, you could forge one out into a bar, then take it back up to a temperature where it becomes non-magnetic and quench it in oil. Knock the bar against the side of your anvil. If it breaks it's good knife material. You'll have to play with heat treating for a while until you get the proper and best way to reharden and temper them.

Some people grind them very slow in the hardened state. You could also do this. Just remember this is slow work, and if the file gets too hot to hold, then you should stop and cool it down in water. Don't use gloves, so that you're hands sensitivity to the heat will allow you to keep the blade from behing tempered too much. Working without gloves around rotating tools is also a wise safety practice.
 
I should add, that if you grind them from a hardened state....they will need to be tempered back. Files are usually in the 70 Rc range, and are also too brittle to make a knife from in that state.

I used to work them hard, but for a while I heated them to non-magnetic and then slow cooled them in vermiculite to anneal them. Once I had them cut, ground and shaped, I heat treated them all over again.
 
Ive had pretty good success with files so far. It is a cheap resource of practice material if not pretty good tool steel. It is fairly forgiving for forging or stock removal. It makes a good looking knife even if you don't clean up the "groovy" file marks.

here is an old thread that shows a knife I am still working on. Part time knifemaking is sloooooooooow.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=434813
 
Thanks for the input. I have never even attempted to make a knife so that was exactly how I saw it as far as plenty of steel to practice on. And who knows it may make a decient knife one day. I am going to order a coote grinder tomorrow to get started.
 
Hey where is that barn ;)
Look for name brands on the files as a habit group them together and work only from the same brand name.That can help keep things consistant. You can swing by my shop if you want I'm no expert but I have made quite a few mistakes already.
 
I just went and grabbed a few. They are 17" Simonds files. I just called the maker and he said they were 1047,1050 steel.
 
What about old mower blades as knife steel??
 
I am a farrier and use Simmonds rasps, I called Simmonds and they told me it was 1095. I know the tests that I have done they definitely act like 1095 and not 1050.
 
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
 
All the Simmonds files I've tested (quite a few) act exactly like 1095. Hardened 1095 has a pretty distinct spark pattern when ground. Never had one come up "soft" after HTng.
But as was mentioned earlier always test each file for quality before wasting any time making a blade. Some are pure junk!
 
i would get all that they would part with if i were you if the are hard now they can be hardened after forging , im not big on leaving file marks in knife blades ,but some are .its more than likely they are either w2 or 1095 both make fine knives , one of the bigest knives I have made was a file in its first life .
 
i went back and looked at another thread that you had on your Damascus good work btw
the files work great in patteren welded blades you dont have to do much to use it just flux it and and alow the flux to do its thing it will clean out all the junk and it will weld great, good find .
 
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