elfshadow14 Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Hey I have seen people using files for knife metal.How much carbon do they have in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Julian, your last name is the coolest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Norris Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Files, unless they are case hardened, have between 95 to 100 points of carbon (0.95 - 1.00) and can make excellent knives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevomiller Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 The old "black diamond" files (before nicholson) were 1.2% C, a great way to juice up a billet... Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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