Stock removal on old files

Feezle

Feezle

Joined
Jan 30, 2012
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519
Ok so I went to a couple yard sales today and pick all of this up dirt cheap.

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Only one Nicholson (one of the two longest) but they are all US made.

As I understand, there are two methods of doing stock removal on these. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Both involve doing a snap test. I can either cut off a small piece for that or try hardening the tang and snapping it. If either shatter, then I'm good to go. Then I can do kne of the following:

1. Anneal the file, make it into a knife, then harden it back up and temper.
2. Leave the file hard, carefully make it into a knife without burning the metal, then temper it.

Is one of these methods better than the other? I would love to not have to go through re-hardening if possible. Would tempering prior to shaping be a good idea if I don't anneal?
 
I would suggest annealing so when you go to drill holes for handles you are killing your drill bits. If you plan on a hidden tang then you might get away with not annealing. Just my 0.02
 
That is a good call. I I think these will be full tang for the most part but I may do a cord wrapped one first so I could probably do that as is.
 
I would suggest double checking the files and keeping any that still have a good amount of life left in them. Don't let any rust, dirt, or clogged teeth trick ya either, as a little cleaning can reveal that a file still has decently sharp teeth. Good files can be pretty expensive now, at least compared to how much Nicholson files cost when they were still being made in the USA and could bought from any hardware store. The USA-made Nicholson, Kearny & Foot (K&F), Disston, and Simonds files are all great keepers! I don't think any of these companies that still make files make them in the USA anymore.


IMHO, good files are great tools to have and good blade steel is cheap! I still regret using some good (old) files that still had plenty of life left to make knives from back when I started, but live and learn!

Aside from that, it's fun to give new life to something that is worn down and has no more use. :)

~Paul
My YT Channel
Lsubslimed
... (It's been a few years since my last upload)
 
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Both ways work just fine. I usually temper at 450 x 1 hour, twice, then grind them hard with a 3m 967. You do have to watch the heat, dip frequently. To do the handle holes, clamp the blade end in your vise and use a propane or MAPP torch to heat up the spots where your pin holes will go, through the colors until it all goes gray. It's basically a heavy spot-temper that'll allow you to drill the holes. You'll still need a sharp bit, and you may have to do the heat a couple of times.
 
If you are not going to anneal it all the way, at least temper it first! That will soften it noticeably.

File knives are lots of fun and good practice. Caveats are the usual with unspecified and stressed steel, but for practice and funsies, they're a blast.
 
Yeah, I will still be using mostly known steel but I have a couple of my wife's grandafther's rasps that I'm going to make knives out of for my Brother-in-laws. I wanted some to practice with first. The ones that are going to be for them are Nicholson so I shouldn't have a problem with unknown steel, they should be 1095. I really like how the file and rasp knives look texture-wise too. Should be fun.
 
Natlek, that's a GREAT dagger grind - anybody would be happy with that grind.

Ken H>
 
I guess I misstakenly thought that after 2 temper cycles I would be able to cut the file with a hacksaw. I could where it was soft near the tang but not elsewhere. Doing a third cycle right now. Not sure if this is gonna work.
 
coldsteelburns said:
I would suggest double checking the files and keeping any that still have a good amount of life left in them. Don't let any rust, dirt, or clogged teeth trick ya either, as a little cleaning can reveal that a file still has decently sharp teeth. Good files can be pretty expensive now, at least compared to how much Nicholson files cost when they were still being made in the USA and could bought from any hardware store. The USA-made Nicholson, Kearny & Foot (K&F), Disston, and Simonds files are all great keepers! I don't think any of these companies that still make files make them in the USA anymore.


IMHO, good files are great tools to have and good blade steel is cheap! I still regret using some good (old) files that still had plenty of life left to make knives from back when I started, but live and learn!
Click to expand...
Try sending them all for resharpening- it's the fraction of the price to buy new ones


http://www.boggstool.com/page5.html
 
Ken H> said:
Natlek, that's a GREAT dagger grind - anybody would be happy with that grind.

Ken H>
Click to expand...
Thanks , Ken . Honestly , I was surprised too how good it turned out .Maybe because it is 8mm thick file so I have space for correction , who knows... But I think that I have sense for this kind of work ;) This dagger is only third knive I try to grind on belt grinder , with jig help .
I have question if you do not mind , I never see dagger in person , so question is .... edges on dagger /on both side / must be sharp like on ordinary knive or no ?
 
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Feezle said:
I guess I misstakenly thought that after 2 temper cycles I would be able to cut the file with a hacksaw. I could where it was soft near the tang but not elsewhere. Doing a third cycle right now. Not sure if this is gonna work.
Click to expand...
It will not help if you think that after third cycle you will cut file with hacksaw. Unless you temper file on very high temp .....but that s not good , too .
 
Yeah still no good. I'm going to have to anneal. Ugh.

Yes on a dagger that style both edges are typically the same. Very good job so far!
 
Natlek said:
Thanks , Ken . Honestly , I was surprised too how good it turned out ........................
I have question if you do not mind , I never see dagger in person , so question is .... edges on dagger /on both side / must be sharp like on ordinary knive or no ?
Click to expand...

Yes, both sides of a dagger are sharp, and should be a mirror image of each other.
Ken H>
 
I annealed a few last night and made my first today. Loving it so far but it is pretty thick and heavy! I made myself a file guide for my plunge lines but due to the way my OBM platen is made, I can't use it on the one side. Will have to mod the platen. Probably add a ceramic plate to it.

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