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What files (and/or tools) do you swear by?


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I'm a fledgling blacksmith that's amassing tools to start with. I'm looking to start out with hand tools then going to power tools later. I have 3 lbs cross peen sledge I plan to use and I plan to make tongs and punches.

Something I need to buy however is the files. I'm not sure which types or brands to use though.

So my question what brand and/or types of tools do you smiths swear by?

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Nicholson files if you can find NOS (new old stock). That means they are made in the U.S.A. all the new ones are made in Mexico or Brazil.

If you can't find those, Pferd is a good brand. Bahco is another that I prefer. They're good files and readily available to me.

Do your research and know which files you need. There are many different types and lots of info on line.

Here's a good read on files. The history of how they got to where they are today and explains many different types.

https://books.google.com/books?id=DlZAAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=file+making&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjm6rbPkeXnAhUJVK0KHcDfAOcQ6wEIGzAC#v=onepage&q=file making&f=false 

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I'm a serious amateur/hobbyist on a limited budget, so most of my files are whatever is cheap and sharp at the flea market.

If you've got more money, Randy Griffin's suggestions are very good.

For what it's worth, the smiths at Colonial Williamsburg (according to what Mark Sperry said at Quad-State last year) use Pferd files almost exclusively -- and they take VERY good care of them.

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2 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

Those that I can't sharpen by soaking in vinegar get used in the forge for making knives & such

That's something everyone should become familiar with. A good card and some acid will bring a borderline file back to life. Also wrap them up so they're not loose and banging into each other when not in use. 

Pnut

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I wish Pferd would list all the dimensions of their files, not just grade and leanght. Nicholson states their round files 14" are 5/8" in diameter. Pferd says they make 350mm long round files ... good luck knowing the diameter. 

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On February 22, 2020 at 1:00 AM, DamianSilas said:

So my question what brand and/or types of tools do you smiths swear by?

I get most of my files from flea markets, as well as most of my punches, chisels, drifts, etc. I use them as is or modify for what I need them for, and generally pay a quarter to a dollar each.

I have a separate set of really nice modern files for more precision work, but those get used more in woodworking than smithing for me personally.

Making your own tooling can be very rewarding and modifying existing tooling can be a good way to get started.

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DS; we would really need to know WHAT COUNTRY YOU ARE IN to give a good answer for you.  If you live in Switzerland the answer is different than if you live in Argentina or Russia or Iceland...

Here in the USA I like the old Black Diamond files, (not stamped Nicholson), however for smithing I generally use farriers rasps and get those used whenever I can find them cheap and save the ones still sharp for hot rasping.

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It depends on your location in the world a lot i'd say. 

Öberg, Sandvik, Bahco => Good scandinavian files

Valor, Pferd, Grobet => Good European files

I'm not that familiar with USA brand files, I suppose Nicholson, Black diamond ...

one thing you need to learn is to store your files, and the restrict their usage to only one type of material. Wood and softer stuff = one file; Brass,bronze, copper = one file, steel, iron and stainless = one file. This makes your files last longer. Also, invest in a good File brush, and store them dry.

 

mvg; Bart

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Filing clean metal---no rust or scale makes them last longer too.  

Also keep the files you use for hot work separate from those you only do cold work with!  (As I only use rasps for hot work and seldom use them for cold metal work that's easy for me. Now I do have some reserved for wood, especially working on handles.)

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I prefer new files to flea market types. I file most of my forged irons to a certain degree and nothing beats a factory sharp file for good work.. I really like the brightwork highlights contrast to my forged iron. Just remember a touch of the file, for me is good and a little goes a long way.. It's a good way to accent the 3-d aspect of iron. 

My go to files for this are nicholson half round bastard files with one safe edge. They come in two lengths. I use both. I use a few rectangular mill files as well. Again, with one safe edge. When i was doing a lot of door hardware, etc, i got into many specialty files like rifflers, keyhole, etc and they were very fun to deal with.

My appreciation of new vs used came from being a farrier. Doing 8 or so critters 6 days a week didn't take me long to appreciate a sharp tool. 

Shoeing also was the basis for my filing skills. Rasping a hoof shape level is not easy. The horse hoof is just plane difficult to master. Shortly after I started smithing, i told Tom Joyce my background was as a farrier. His remark was classic. "Hmmm, then you must be pretty good with a file!". I took this to heart, recognized the truth of this and began to apply this skill to my iron. This primarily meant using my files for far more than filing things flat. So, all ye farriers, don't let this skill go by the wayside.

 

 

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I was just out in the shop doing some file work. I was thinking about this thread, and I never even thought to look before, but one of my main go to files is old and worn. It's a 10" Nicholson mill bastard with a nice wood handle on it. I'm not sure where I even got it from. But even as worn as it is, it still works real well. 

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If you don't want to use the acid method for trying to sharpen old files, there is an alternative.  For those of you who have several (or a lot) of old and dull files there is a company, Boggs Tool Co., in California, that will sharpen files at a price MUCH cheaper than a new file.  Since posting the link is verboten here, just direct your browser to that firm.

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