November 11, 200619 yr Hey I have seen people using files for knife metal.How much carbon do they have in them?
November 11, 200619 yr Files are very good for knives, they are all high carbon steel of some sort. To work with them, you need to anneal them first; all annealing is is taking a peice of high carbon steel, heating it up to orange and then letting it cool very slowly. you can do this by heating the file to an orange then putting it in a bucket of wood ashes and letting it sit there for a day or two.
November 11, 200619 yr Files, unless they are case hardened, have between 95 to 100 points of carbon (0.95 - 1.00) and can make excellent knives.
November 11, 200619 yr Most old files are good quality carbon steel, W1 or W2. However, many new files from overseas are casehardened and not appropriate for tool and knife making. You can put it in your vise with a small portion hanging out and whack it with an old hammer. If it is thru hardened high carbon steel it should snap right off.
November 11, 200619 yr Most old files are good quality carbon steel, W1 or W2. However, many new files from overseas are casehardened and not appropriate for tool and knife making. You can put it in your vise with a small portion hanging out and whack it with an old hammer. If it is thru hardened high carbon steel it should snap right off. always wear a face sheild and eye protection while doing this too . From experience I can say files made of W1 are very good for learning to heat treat properly.
November 12, 200619 yr The old "black diamond" files (before nicholson) were 1.2% C, a great way to juice up a billet... Thomas
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