Metal files wikipedia

It also has some additional equipment. Such as, you can get a compact carrying case with it, and all the things make it more handy and portable. This toolset is a nice option anyway. Set items — This set has 16 pieces of files that come with four pieces of large files. There is flat, half-round, round, and triangle files in the set.

There are other 12 pieces of the precision needle file. Additional storage space — All tools are stored in a rugged and compact carrying case.

That will make this set a portable one, and it will be handy for you. Handles — It has long handles made of rubbery materials. This will make it handy and comfortable using. The product is from Topec that has several pieces of round, half-round, triangle files, and also some needle files with it. The rubber is made of high-quality rubber that will make it a portable and handy one. This product is surely preferable if you are a person who is looking for the best metalworking files.

Try this out, and then you will see the amazing features of it. File set items — This set includes 18 pieces of the set that has four pieces of flat, half-round, round, and triangle files.

There are another 14 pieces of needle files including with it. Material — These tools are made of high carbon steel. Handles — The handles are made of high-quality materials. Multi-purpose — It has a quality that can be used on different materials like glass, mirror, metal, leather, ceramic, and for different purposes like cutting and polishing. When you are planning to buy any metal files, there are some things that you should be careful of.

The reason is if you are not capable of purchasing the right and suitable one, there is no reason for buying that thing.

Also, you will face difficulties if you get the wrong product. There are lots of shapes available in a file set. But choose that set that can help you appropriately. There are four types of files available, and those are single-cut, double-cut, curved-cut, and rasp-cut files.

Though these are completely different from one to another, you must be very careful about your needs. It is because without knowing your need you cannot be able to choose the right one. There are also some certain shapes a file set can have, such as rounded, half-rounded, square, triangular, and flat. These are the common shapes of files. So, when you are choosing any file set, you must know what types of files you need.

At first, know your need fully then decide about the exact file set. Moreover, there are other numerous shapes available in the market. These can also satisfy you by providing better performance. And once you are done with choosing, you can get better performance and better results for sure. The file is known for its sharpness. When you are going to shape or sharpen any material, you will need a file with good sharpness. And for that reason, you have to be sure if the file set you are going to buy is sharp or not.

As sharpness is necessary, you will need to take it seriously. You need to know what file will do your job correctly. Also, you need to examine if the sharpness is appropriate or not. Taking the over-sharpened file can also be a risky one. One mistake can harm your safety. Every metal file has a handle with it. Before buying it, you need to check if the handles are made of high material or not. It is because if the handles are not well-attached, you will face difficulties.

Moreover, take care of the construction of handles. If the handles are made of wood, it generally can loosen over time. Do not use it in a hurry without its handles. Sharpness and handles are important. But keeping the material fact in mind is also important because if the material of those files is not that good then it will be of no use for purchasing that product.

Every kind of steel is a mixture of carbon and iron. The technique and proportion might be changed but all is the mixture of these two elements. There are also some fumes made of high carbon steel. When you are going to fill metal, you will need harder teeth than the material you are cutting into. Using carbon can give you high-quality performance, and better sharpness.

The high carbon steel can do all these things. When you are working with wood or plastic, you should be very careful that you will use those files that have a bastard or rough kind of pattern.

Most of the hand files have a lifetime warranty. But otherwise, you have to check the details first before buying any file set.

Not only the materials, sharpness, and shapes are important. Knowing the warranty details and if it is available or not is the other thing that you should be concerned about.

So, it will be better if you check the details first and the purchase. People generally like to purchase the best product at a reasonable price. There are two options- getting the long-lasting product or getting the branded one. Different people have different choices. Some of you want the product if they are of good brands. Other people want a good quality product at a reasonable rate. Both thoughts are valid.

It all depends on you, and your choices. Choose a rasp-cut for rough cuts of soft materials, and a curved-cut file for automotive body work. This file has a series of individual teeth and produces a rough cut. Check the quality of the file. Be sure that the file you choose to use is whole, rather than broken or chipped.

Ensure the handle is intact and not loose. Soak your file in distilled white vinegar overnight to remove the rust.

Then wipe off any residue and thoroughly dry the file before using it. Clean the file. There should not be any pins bits of filed metal stuck in the teeth. If there are, clean them out with a file card, stiff wire brush, or a piece of skinny wire or sheet metal. You can also use a scrap piece of hardwood to clean your file by pressing the wood against the file and scraping it along the grooves.

Aim to stop and clean your file every 15 strokes or so to prevent pinning. Apply chalk, oil, or lard to the file. Liberally rub chalk, or a small amount of lard or general-purpose oil, into the teeth of the file.

This makes the file less likely to become clogged with pins in the future, as well as reduces the amount of metal dust when filing, and also protects the file. You may want to wear gloves when applying chalk, oil, or lard to your file to keep your hands clean. Part 2. Secure your work. It is important to secure your work with a vise or other clamp to keep it from moving around while you are filing.

Mount the vise so that the stationary jaw extends slightly beyond the edge of your workbench, and be sure to place bolts in all the holes on the base of the vise and secure them with locking washers. Then, place the workpiece in the vise so that it is supported by the full clamping surface.

File in only one direction. Instead, only apply pressure on the forward stroke and lift the file away from the workpiece on the return stroke. Cross file to remove material. For heavy cross filing, grab the handle of the file with the dominant hand and place the palm of the other hand on the end of the file. Angle the file diagonally to the work and press down firmly so that the file digs in and cuts the metal. Make long, slow strokes away from your body.

Lift the file away from the surface on the return stroke to prevent dulling the file. Straight file for detail work. For straight filing, use a small file rather than a large one. Grab the handle of the file with the dominant hand and place the fingers of the other hand on the end of the file. Point the file away from you and press it down firmly on your workpiece. Make long, slow strokes away from your body, and only file in one direction, rather than back and forth.

Draw file to finish a surface. For draw filing, place your hands on either side of the file with a gap slightly larger than your workpiece. Hold the file horizontally and make long, slow strokes away from your body with a firm pressure.

Remember to only apply pressure on the forward stroke, and to remove the file on the backward stroke. For right handed people hold the handle firmly in your right hand then leave you left hand open and place it on the end of the file switch hands if left handed. When filing put your right hand down to the right and left hand up to the top left as if looking at it top down then place it on the bottom left of the material and drag it along to the top right of the material applying a bit of pressure with both hands onto the file in the process as you do the motion.

Make sure to use the entire length of the file to get a good finish. Finally, there are a bunch of weird file types for specialty applications. Check out this video as an introduction. Very useful. Metalworking files are not the easiest tools to become super proficient with. They take some time for skills development to teach your muscles to always hold them straight through the stroke. Practice a little with these tools, and realize that though they are ancient, they are also extremely well refined by great minds that have honed the technology over centuries.

The right tools , and in this case, the right skills with the right tools for the job make everything easier. And, help you with a better end result. If you need, you can check flatness of something by laying a file on it and looking through at light on the other side. A file will show you the flatness or not of the object in comparison. Also, because they are really flat, they are a great way to finish up a part that needs to be really flat. It would be really hard to finish a metal part to flat with a file.

Dangerous, because this is one wicked tool! Does it look nice enough? This one is carbide, and it eats steel. It devours aluminum, but it burns on wood. Super cool tool, but nasty just the same. While I love this tool because of what it does, I have a huge respect for it. Control is the key to avoid bloody knuckles , or worse. Not for use by people with shaky hands. The one shown in the image is carbide, made for metalworking, and it eats steel, wood, or fingers or whatever it touches for lunch.

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