R.C.Edmondson Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 I am sure everyone probally already knows this but when your first gettiing into this addiction of knife making, you seem to never find enough material, even if its taking over your yard. I have a pile of knife making steel that is almost unimaginable that I have found at junk yard and scrap yards but the best finds so far have all come from pawn shops! I scored almost 300 old nicholson bastard file this past week from various pawn shops in my area and it only cost me 50.00!!!, I could have had a ton more but they didnt have a name on them, so to any new comers that look for good knife making steel remember to check out the pawn shops!!!!,Godbless,Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Must remember that when I am really broke. I can pawn all my files/rasps :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Thanks for the tip! I'll have to remember that. Now let's see.........I pass how many pawn shops on the way home? Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 There's a pawn shop near where I live that has files, rasps, odd wrenches,battered hammers, etc in the back of the shop. I'm guessing that some folks pawn entire tool boxes full of tools(maybe whole truckloads), and never come back to reclaim them. The rasps ,screw drivers, etc, are priced separately and sometimes can be had reasonably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerkid Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 I`d never thought about the pawn shop. We have 2 pawn shops in town . I gotta check em out soon LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Eh, not to sound really dumb, but a what's a pawn shop again??? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyshackleford Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 You have an item (rasps), and no cash. Pawn shop will take your rasps, and loan you cash (which you have to pay back in X days, etc.). Pay the cash back within the time period, you get your rasps back. Fail to do so, and Charlie buys your rasps after Pawn Shop puts them out for sale (as they are their property now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) You also pay a rather large amount of interest to get bach what ever it is that you pawned. Finnr Edited November 5, 2008 by Finnr spelling of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 Hehe, I have a rather large collection of 10" and 12" files that I have used at work and are no longer in any shape to file on 15N20 bandsaw blade steel. The only problem I have found is that I forged out two rather nice camp knives out of them and they wouldn't harden. :mad: Could have been case hardened steel, or I could have heated them too many times and burned out all of the carbon. Usually Simonds files are pretty good, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 You can't "burn out all the carbon" What you have is probably 3rd world made files that are case hardened. There are a lot of them around these days. Easiest way to tell is to grind off a small spot then try to file that spot. If the file cuts it, it was case hardened mild steel and you ground through the case hardening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 That's kinda what I thought. Today I was handling a used up file in my shop and it had a bur on it up near the tang. I used another file to remove said bur. It took it off easily. I took note of the lack of resistance to the new file. So, yeah, I imagine it's mild steel. Big let-down though, because I have a bunch of them. I do have two really old files that are about 1/4" to 5/16" thick. I'd imagine they've got some good steel to them. As for the other trash files, I can always load them onto the truck with some scrap and sell them to the scrapyard then buy some good steel with the money. When life hands you lemons . . . ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NuViking Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Pawnshops,,auto salvage,,steel scrap yards,,,Oh yea. I died and went to heaven. To bad some of the guys at mtorcycle salvage yards seem to be so high on junk steel prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 File tangs are generally not hardened or tempered way back to soft even on first rate files. BTW the old Black Diamond files---the ones that don't say nicholson on them were 1.2% carbon and so make a dandy carbon doner for pattern welded billets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Thomas, both of your statements are worth keeping in mind. I may try to light the ole forge tomorrow- if I get my anvil in place- and play around with a couple of the newer files to see what I can do. I need to try to anneal a cleaver that I cut out of a circular saw blade today (MAN that thing is HARD!). Umm, I think I'm on the verge of hijacking this thread. SO, how 'bout that pawn shop steel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I have mentioned previously that Indian and Chinese files look like real files but simply do not work like real files. I believe they were intended to be decoys. I have placed several of them in my scrap bin in hopes they will attract a few real files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I have mentioned previously that Indian and Chinese files look like real files but simply do not work like real files. I believe they were intended to be decoys. I have placed several of them in my scrap bin in hopes they will attract a few real files. That won't work. You have to line them up, single file, in a cut, or maybe a fine draw to attract any filelings. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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