inletting file

[David R. Pennington]

The grain pattern on my current build is very contrary around the lock panel and as I began inletting lockplate I was having a lot of trouble with tear out no matter how keenly my chisels were sharpened. I know no one sees behind there but my inletting job was looking horrible. What I needed was a flat bottom bent riffler file that I didn't have.
I decided to see if I could make one. I used an old allen key wrench and forged a blunt taper on one end then fullered down the shaft just a bit back from the end to leave a sort of bullet shape. I flattened this to sort of a leaf shape and annealed in the ash drawer of the wood stove. I filed it to shape and honed flat on the bottom.
Next I forged a lttle chisel out of tool steel and ground to shape with the face a little rounded over and the back flat. I hardened the edge.
I clamped the riffler to a block of lead and cut in the file teeth. This was a tedious process as I found that the chisel edge chipped and had to be honed after each cut.
After I cut the file teeth I cut off the stock and drew a taper on the opposite end to accept a handle. I clamped the little leaf shaped riffler head in my copper lined vise jaws to protect it and heated the shank to bend and shape the offset. Next I heated the file end only and hardened in oil and added an old file handle. Although it looks a little rough it works great!
In no time I was able to smooth out and level the bottom of my inlet. I do have a profound respect for the the tool makers of old who hand made files though.

[whetrock]

Posts like the one you just made are why I joined this forum, David! Awesome!

whetrock

[KNeilson]

David, sounds like a satisfying endevour with a good outcome. In your post your description of your chisel gives me the idea of a "butcher", possibly why the edge was chipping as well as maybe a slightly flawed heat treatment. I have made quite a few files without what you describe happening to your chisel, one of my advances in success was in sharpening and shaping my chisels. There is another post with some info that may interest you   http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=22266.msg212509#msg212509
as well as a google book on the subject   http://books.google.ca/books?id=x9EOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Nicholson+File&redir_esc=y         
hope this helps     Kerry           

[mike blair]

if i may offer a suggestion.nowhere in your post did you mention drawing a temper.hardening is not enough.for the chisel you need to draw to at least a dark straw color or a bronze for the best toughness/edge holding ability.for the riffler you dont even need to harden unless you plan to use the tool an awfull more than i think you are going to.   

[David R. Pennington]

I think most of the problem I had cutting the teeth was not getting the steel annealed soft enough to start with. I tried first to draw the temper back but it wouldn't cut so I heated again and left it full hard.