No chuck up and die grind, jokes? 

Frosty The Lucky.

In my shop, there's lots of die grinding daily. In my wife's yarn store, the daily grind involves dye lots.

it's here now to set it up my new toy, an ender 5 3d printer

Nice!

Sweeeet!

 

Winning bid in an online farm auction. Now I just need to learn how to figure out what's good and what's going to get forged into something else. And how to maintain the ones I use. And probably how to use them properly? I do know to only go one direction but I don't know how to tell which direction that is, lol

 

Looks like a very good haul.  Many of them look brand new.  The problem with forging files into something else is that unless you anneal them and grind the teeth off you will always have the tooth pattern on your final object.  You may want this but it can be annoying if you don't want it.

Also, some modern files are made of some odd alloys which do not forge well and may be difficult to heat treat.

I think I would keep almost all of them as files rather than forging stock.  If you are going to dedicate some to forging material choose the dullest ones and the ones you have a lot of duplicate shapes and sizes.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Nice haul!  Files typically cut on the forward stroke so no pressure on the return stoke.  Looks like you have at least one lead float or file in there, the one with the semi circular teeth and orange tang so lead only but may work okay for aluminum or wood.  Get a file card which is a very short bristle wire brush to keep the teeth clean. You can also use a sharp scribe to remove accumulated material from the teeth.  In school, the teacher told us that the files worst enemy was another file meaning don't bang them together or store them touching each other.  Also, they way more comfortable and effective to use if they have handles.  I have seen folks use old golf balls which look like they would work well.  On small needle files, I use wine corks.

In all my years, I’ve only ever had one file that cut on the pull stroke, and that was a factory second of an odd profile. 

My newest acquisitions:
1) Un-named early anvil, only marked with 1 0 11 (123 lbs)
I weighed it on my cheap digital scale at 121lbs ...pretty nice shape, awesome rebound, wayyy better than I thought an anvil this old would have... I got it for $400 so thats roughly $3.33 per pound
2) "Sea Robin" anvil aprox. 12" H. × 5 &1/4" wide...95 lbs...previous owner welded on a 1" Hardy hole and brackets to hold it down. Got it for $100. And the seller was kind enought to drive it 3/4 of the way to my house... so thats a tad over a buck a pound...I'm happy

Very nice. That second anvil should do nicely with L-shaped bottom tools (with the shank on the side, so that the force of the blows is resisted by the anvil itself).

 This came in the mail today; Elgin was running a two-for-one Black Friday sale. 

I’m pleased to see that they’ve improved the charging socket cover, made the earbuds replaceable, and replaced the volume and power buttons with a rocker switch. 

4 hours ago, Dreadnought said:

I'm happy

As well you should be. Not often a Colonial style anvil in that shape shows up, especially at that price. However we have no idea where in the world you are located. Anvil availability and cost is highly dependent upon location.

Dreadnought, welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

Both items are very nice.  I feel stirrings of anvil envy creeping up.

"Fear God and dread naught."

14 hours ago, Shainarue said:

how to maintain the ones I use

  A file card and proper storage are important as said above.  You can rub them with chalk or better still, soapstone before use to keep from clogging up the teeth before use, particularly on soft metals, but I use it for everything I file.  It makes them easier to clean as well.  However in humid environments this can actually cause them to rust faster.  You got a nice selection there in one fell swoop...

If the files are rusty, soaking them in vinegar will clean & sharpen them to some extent. I wrap my good  files in rust preventive paper (Armor brand) makes a world of difference. Like Scott said rubbing them with chalk or soapstone makes filing easier especially when draw filing.

One warning about the use of soapstone:  Soapstone can contain asbestos and if you are cutting it or grinding it up in some way there is some risk.  However, commercially available soapstone for marking is probably just fine.  I'd be more cautious about using drops from a soapstone counter or sink or "wild" soapstone from an outcrop.

BTW, real talcum powder (not the current cornstarch version) is just ground up soapstone.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thanks George, I didn't know that. Love it when I learn something new every day here.

Soapstone that is sold for carving is probably OK too.  I've gotten it at Hobby Lobby but it is also available on line.  The reason you can't get real talcum powder in the USA any more is fear of liability for asbestos contamination.

GNM

Folks,

I have been using chalk on files ever since my high school days in the late eighteen hundreds.

Why? because it lubricates what I am filing, but more importantly, it slows the file from filling up with metallic filings.

Even if that happens, the clogged-up file is still easier to clean, if it had been used with chalk, (with a file card, preferably).

Worn or terminally plugged up files can be bought dirt cheap and cleaned up with the acid (then base), treatment. I described the procedure a while back. Or, it can be sent out to businesses that provide that service for a small fee. (search this site for their names). There are numerous you tube videos that, also, describe the procedure.

Hope that helps,

Monsieur  SLAG.

 

Thanks for all the input on the files y'all! I truly had intended to just search the site for a thread that surely exists, lol

Now I've already got a bit of info to start with. 

In regards to forging them into something else: I had specifically been keeping my eye out for rasps because there was a project in one of the beginner books I had read (before I had started forging regularly) that used a rasp to make a pair of scissors and I wanted to make a pair for my barber to hang as decoration in his booth. Assuming I can pull off forging a pair that is worthy of display, of course, lol 

I saw somewhere else that someone used a triangle file to make a flat tool cutoff. Maybe? I can't find it now. 

Oh, and of course the rasple snakes! 

A quick run to the ReStore scored me a couple of bottles of thread cutting fluid (also good for drilling) and a framing square which will be adapted to other uses. More to come….

My run to restore scored me a tuning fork/pickle fork and a half-full drill index, that I filled up more with a box of misc. drill bits my friend gave me

And I just got back with another investment…

12 speed, 1 horsepower, floor mount drill press 

Nice one Will. Looks like my 1980 Duracraft. 

You wont know how you got along without it

 

Nice.