Hey guys trying to clean up my haul of files I scrubbed them in a sink with warm soapy water, then quickly dried in a preheated oven. (Don't tell my wife about the stove or her sink!! LOL) Then soaking them in white vinegar. Here is my question there is still some rust in places on them. Is that OK? Also can you put a fine oil on them like air power tool oil to keep them from rusting? Also, If the vinegar don't cut the mustard can you use Muriatic Acid watered down? I have used this on steel traps and it cleans them up slick. As always thank you for your help!!
File care
- Thread starter Bucky182
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When I was an Engineering Apprentice many years ago (40 at least!) one of my 'jobs' was to periodically soak the files in car battery acid, this certainly cleaned them and also appeared too 'sharpen' them. Whenever they were used the first thing you did was rub them with french chalk to help stop them clogging, also a new file should be used on brass stock to 'bed it in' prior to proper use.
All sounds like old wives tails now but believe me, it was part of machine shop life in the 70's!
Should read Old Wives Tales! Darn spell check!
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I'm kind of a file junky, can't get enough of them. Three things I have found that ruin them quickly, 1. Throw them all together in a drawer or box, 2. use them without chalk and in a sawing motion, 3. filing hard steel that leaves a line of flattended teeth in it's travel path.
Each file should have it's own handle to be hung from, separate from contact with any other file, and they should have the filings removed from the teeth after every use. Handled and maintained correctly they will stay sharp and useful for many years.
I learned to file at around 10 from my father, learned more in HS shop classes and even more in gunsmith school and truth be told after 60 years of almost regular use, there is still much to be learned about their use and care.
I still wonder about chalk as it also should have a dulling effect on file teeth but it keeps the teeth clean from file clogs which looks like it has much more of a dulling effect than does chalk.
Each file should have it's own handle to be hung from, separate from contact with any other file, and they should have the filings removed from the teeth after every use. Handled and maintained correctly they will stay sharp and useful for many years.
I learned to file at around 10 from my father, learned more in HS shop classes and even more in gunsmith school and truth be told after 60 years of almost regular use, there is still much to be learned about their use and care.
I still wonder about chalk as it also should have a dulling effect on file teeth but it keeps the teeth clean from file clogs which looks like it has much more of a dulling effect than does chalk.
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