snake Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 i mean, besides their intended use? there's a farm & feed store in the area that sells farriers' supplies and being a tool junkie, i keep ogling the farrier files, wanting to buy one, but not sure what it'd be good for, since i'm not a farrier. help me to justify one. what else are they good for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer3j Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Clean up of notched logs for cabin building- I ended up with a few and that was all I could come up with. Just Ole' Lefty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nett Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 (edited) They are excellent for HOT filing. A farrier's rasp will remove a lot of material FAST! On edit: I would NEVER use a new rasp for hot filing, only used junk ones the can be purchased for a song. Edited September 14, 2008 by nett yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan W Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 They make great large bowie style blades and tomahawks. I made a large throwing knife from a used one I picked up at a flea market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Thomas Powers makes snakes from them, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fat pete Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 (edited) makes good snakes...and other scaled type animals, serpants and amphibeans or anything that needs to have some texturing.....usually tuff steel tho work it real hot...meet up with a couple of farriers they will give em to ya.....once they get a little used evidently they dont cut very well so they become useless....work great to remove lotsa materiel when you use them like a file Edited September 14, 2008 by fat pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 How long are your toe nails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 They last a long time as hot files after the farrier does not want them any more. Better than a standard file IMO. When they are no good for that use use them to make anything that needs a hig carbon steel. Have fun..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrous Beuler Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Steer clear from the farm store and head for the auction circuit... unless you like throwing money out the window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Yup I make Rasptle Snakes from them. Bent one around a drift and forge welded it into a hawk, used one to texture other steel---heated the other steel *HOT* and then put the rasp on it and hammered it. My favorite tool for dressing hammer handles when I'm rehandling hammers or other tools. At the winter SWABA meeting Rob sells used rasps quite reasonably. I bought 18 of them last year... Some rasps will make good knives, some of them are more case hardened and so do not make good knives. If I am working down an old "found" rasp and it's particularly hard under the hammer I will save it for knifemaking and use a different rasp for my project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 The one use for a farrier's file I haven't seen yet is keeping track of your farriers in alphabetical order. Talk to farriers in your area, maybe contact the farrier's association and attend a meeting. Once the rasp gets dull it doesn't cut cleanly and cleanly shaping the hoof is what they're for. Farriers will either give them to you or sell them really cheaply. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchmancreek Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Don't buy any...find a farrier and ask him for some used ones. My farrier saves his used rasps and drops them off when he comes by. I've a whole pile of them now. I haven't used them for much, but they're free. I don't think all rasps are equal....some are surface/case hardened and some are high carbon steel through out. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Turner Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I agree farriers just toss them after so many horses ask a farrier I am sure he would be happy to give you some or sell them to you cheap. Also all of the rasps most professional farriers use are high carbon steel not case hardened. I know because I called all the makers and done heat treat tests and I use them daily as what they are intended and what they are not intended. A case hardened rasp fails very quickly and I as a farrier will not spend hard earned money on junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce wilcock Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 i sent in a blueprint showing the way i make a pair of pincers out of worn rasps ,i dont know if it still can be found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 We definitely have seen some junk ones out this way, low grade asian imports, poor folk have poor ways! Thomas in New Mexico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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