Scored the mother load! Now, how tho properly care for files.

[peppen108]

Scored the mother load for 10$ at a flee-market. I offered 12$ butt the seller pushed it down to 10$ him self. They are 70% Öberg Sweden and 20% Nicholson US and 10% marked Wasa or Cast steel.

I am so happy! Now how do i treat these files.

Do I soak the in fuel oil and then clan the whit a toothbrush and finally oil them whit mineral oil?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Get a wire brush, or if you can locate one, a file card ( it is a wire brush especially made for cleaning files).

Soak the files in hot soapy water, and then scrub and brush well to remove old grit and crud.
Rinse well, and dry. Then oil lightly with a protective oil, and wipe the excess off.

Some of those are woodworking files, and some are machinist ( metal) files.

BTW, the word is WITH ,not WHIT.

 

[peppen108]

Thanks! There is a Rasp in the bunch. The one with paint on it and in the close up.

Do you spot any other wood working files?

Will a brass wire brush do?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The large half-round, and some of the coarser round files may be for wood. It is hard to tell from the photo.

 

[peppen108]

Soaked them in a sour detergent (ph 2). Cleaned with a file brush as close to a file card as I could find. Three times per file. Then scrubbed whit baking soda. Rinsed in water. Dried in hot air flow. Oiled whit mineral oil. Wiped of.

One of them turned out perfect. Two has flawed spots butt sill way better. Since I've bought 30-40 files for the price of 1 new and that I have gotten my hands on files twice the size of what I have been able to get my hands on earlier this is looking very successful. Thanks Stacy!

 

[peppen108]

Ha! By running a needle in the groves the the last metal and paint residue whit the help of the oil just pops out. When the needle becomes dull just file sharp it again. All three files are now fully functional.

 

[peppen108]

Looks a bit worn but it's the oil. Clean and smooth.

 

[Mahoney]

To my eye the rasp and a couple other of those look a bit dull. Compare their performance to a new file, preferably on a piece of brass to check. If they are dull, resharpening is an option, especially for old files made from good steel. Boggs file sharpening has a pretty good reputation for doing a good job, at a cost much lower than a new file.

 

[peppen108]

Unfortunately I'm on the wrong side of the puddle for Boggs.

I'm out on thin ice here but i think that the rasp can be sharped with a polishing machine atleast that is what the hove-smiths do.

And the files can be sandblasted at least according to a 1908 article about file care that I found in Swedish. I also found long time etching whit vinegar or acid.

 

[David Loukides]

Hi Peppen108,
The Bottom two in your first picture are slitting files. They will be good for adding file work to your blade.
Nice Collection,
Dave.

 

[Lorien]

man, I need to find a stash like that!

 

[Mahoney]

Boggs uses an abrasive sharpening method (think modeling clay with grit in it extruded onto the file at just the right angle) Based on the samples I saw at a trade show it produced superior results to those the companies offering acid etch "sharpening" were producing. Perhaps there is a company offering a similar service on your side of the pond.