Old file for new knife

M

missionary5155

Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
39
Do old files work well for a knife project? Any speacial things to know before starting ? Will be a sheath knife for EDC.
 
You want a good brand of old file (such as Nichols). Cheap files may be case hardened (only surface has high carbon content).

Try baking an old file in your kitchen oven at around 375 to 400 degrees for an hour to reduce its hardness and brittleness. See if it gets soft enough to cut with another file. If not repeat the baking process. When you can cut your tempered file with a normal file it is soft enough to use as a knife blade. Start grinding your knife to shape. Don't get it too hot or it will lose its hardness.
 
Jeff Clark said:
You want a good brand of old file (such as Nichols). Cheap files may be case hardened (only surface has high carbon content).

Try baking an old file in your kitchen oven at around 375 to 400 degrees for an hour to reduce its hardness and brittleness. See if it gets soft enough to cut with another file. If not repeat the baking process. When you can cut your tempered file with a normal file it is soft enough to use as a knife blade. Start grinding your knife to shape. Don't get it too hot or it will lose its hardness.
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Thanks for the commo.. The 2 inch wide flat file3/8 thick is a Nichols...
Will sure try the oven route. I have a casting thermometor for heat control.
 
A Nichols metal cutting file should be 1095. I have made a lot of knives with these.

Daniel
 
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