Rejuvenating Files

[GregLaROCHE]

Several times I’ve heard that you can rejuvenate a dull file by soaking it in acid. Does this really work, if so how well and what acid? HCl?
Thanks

[unclemikeinct]

Depends on what material they are clogged up with. That said, a dull file can't be saved. You can turn it into a knife of some sorts with a lot of work. My method & I've rescued a few good old ones [worth the whiskey]. Treat it like a rifle barrel, Solvent, card file it, oil, Little more work with a good file card brush. You may need to do the solvent thing a few times. After that, use chalk, the greasy stick type found in welding supply shops. I hope that helps you. Keep Them Clean & avoid the grief. uncle mike in ct

[M-Tecs]

24-hour vinegar soak has worked well for me.

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/sharpening-files/

https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/how-cl...l-metal-files/

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...12/index2.html

https://woodworking.stackexchange.co...tore-old-files

if you want to send them out to be sharpened.

https://boggstool.com/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/...ervice.819457/

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m interested in whether or not they actually get sharper.

[M-Tecs]

I’m interested in whether or not they actually get sharper.

Yes, it works very well provided the teeth are not chipped or have large flat spots of wear. Works best with a properly cared for file that just got dull. Not as good a new but they do close if done properly.

[waksupi]

Do yourself a favor, and just send them to Boggs. Very reasonable. They come back scary sharp, and they will use red dykem to mark any that can't be sharpened again.

I have done the home acid sharpening, and it didn't do that great of a job.

[country gent]

I have used vinegar occasionally. A soak in a 50-50 mix of vinegar and peroxide will help. We also used muratic acid. these help but its not as good as the new file with a few strokes on it.

[Geezer in NH]

https://boggstool.com/

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This topic came up quite a few years ago. While I have a fairly large collection of old USA made metal files, I had never heard of sharpening them, or the DIY acid clean/refurbish.

So I sent a portion of my best files, 25 of them, to Boggs. Like waksupi said, when I got them back, they were scary sharp and it was reasonably priced.

I had about 30 more metal files, I researched the DIY refurb methods and gave it a try. I bought a gallon of Milkstone remover (Phosphoric acid), only costs $12 at the farm store.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/product...id-rinse.html#
The files must be thoroughly degreased first.

I dunk them in the undiluted milkstone remover for 5 minutes...it will foam up some.
Rinse after removing them from the acid, in clean water.
Then dunk them in baking soda water solution, to deactivate the acid.
Then rinse in new clean water, dry them somewhat with a towel and apply a protectant right away (I use WD40), as they will flash rust quickly.

Do all this outside on a summer day with light breeze, have a garden hose handy, as this is a dangerous process.
I am quite impressed with the results, and while not as sharp as Boggs, they come out much sharper than they were before.

[Jeff Michel]

Waste of time, turn your too dull for steel files for brass use, use chalk to reduce pinning and use a file brush to clean them. They last a long time if you care for them and buy good ones. Nothing is less productive or more aggravating than a dull file.

[dswancutt]

Waste of time, turn your too dull for steel files for brass use, use chalk to reduce pinning and use a file brush to clean them. They last a long time if you care for them and buy good ones. Nothing is less productive or more aggravating than a dull file.

Your last sentence pretty much describes every file that my father owned, drill bits where the same. They where so bad my mother bought her own files to sharpen her gardening shovels and her own set of drill bits.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m in France, so it’s probably not practical for me to send file to Boggs. I can’t help but wondering what process they use to refurbish files. Does anyone know how it is done?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I’m in France, so it’s probably not practical for me to send file to Boggs. I can’t help but wondering what process they use to refurbish files. Does anyone know how it is done?

they explain it on their website
https://boggstool.com/file-%26-rasp-services

We sharpen files, rasps and key cutters using (liquid honing) abrasives driven by steam pressure.
The abrasive blast removes metal from the backsides of the teeth until the edge is reformed. We
make these edges very sharp.

All files are sharpened first, then block-tested and inspected. If they fail, they are marked red.
This means they cannot be sharpened again so please do not send them back to us. These
(rejected) files are vastly improved and will still give you plenty of use.

Rust is not a problem. We can remove most, if not all, of the rust depending on where it is at.
Some brand-new files are not as sharp as they can be when first purchased. We sharpen new files
as well.

[Gtek]

One of the "other" things that causes the me bug to the light is files. Flea markets, an old tool box, etc. I have many and also cannot throw away the bad ones just in case of something! I have recovered some beauties well older than I with real alloy instead of this new meatloaf Chinese stuff. Rusty or dirty clogged or both, card and pick clean, card some more. Then OSPHO hit with a bronze brush in shallow plastic tray and double, double toil and trouble and wipe and blow before dry. They turn out great if they were worthy.

[GregLaROCHE]

they explain it on their website
https://boggstool.com/file-%26-rasp-services

Thanks for the info. It sounds interesting, but I am afraid the postage will maybe make it impractical for me. However, I will look into it.