WWYGD Question! ( what would you guys do!) Needle File clogging

[Jim Filipski]

 I always like to throw out a WWYGD question here  since we have such a large diversified database of readers.

How do you guys handle needle file clogging? I have been very fortunate through the years with a large supply of quality German needle  files. However after 27 years of wasteful shop practice the economy if finally catching up with me so I'm not ready to dispose of items I once did readily . Recently I have been doing a lot of creative filing of brass parts to the point that my smooth cut German needle files are brilliantly golden with plugged up teeth. In the past I would relegate them to the scrap metal box and grab a new one ...but now the cost is starting to hurt. Outside of going through each tooth with a razor knife & magnifiers scraping out the residue each tooth by hand does anyone have a better idea? ( & not the block of brass trick Did any one really ever try that? Doesn't work for me)
Jim

[billd]

Try rubbing them sideways over a piece of copper. I used to use pennies but there not copper anymore.  Once you get them clean, coat them with chalk before you use them.
Bill

[Bill of the 45th]

I have a very fine stainless steel brush I use lightly on them, but befoore i start using them, especially on brass, I chalk them.  The other thing I've tried is to roll them on a block of hard wax( I've even put the block in the freezer for a while.  It gets some of the crud out.  Your results may vary.

Bill

[fix]

I use hard wood. Run the files with the direction of the teeth (sideways) and applying pressure. End grain works best, and some wood works better than others.  Bamboo works well for this. If they are really clogged up, you may have to go with the razor to unclog them.


For what it's worth, the chalk doesn't work for me. I think the humidity here just turns it into teeth clogging paste. I always end up with a white file that is just as clogged as if I hadn't chalked it.

I keep an assortment of small brass brushes, and brush the file occasionally while I'm using them. It helps keep them from clogging. They do just wear out sometimes though.

[Artificer]

I use the bronze and stainless steel "toothbrush" type brushes.  Chalk is good for larger files, but I've had no luck using it on needle files.  BTW, an old worn out bronze bore brush will also clean needle files out pretty well. 

Gus

[bluenoser]

Picked up this trick back in my cabinetmaking days.

We usually had plenty of scrap pieces of plastic laminate countertop material kicking around the shop.  We would cut them into strips about 1" - 1 1/2" wide by whatever length was convenient and use them as glue applicators and backing for sandpaper on curved surfaces.  We discovered it does an excellent job cleaning files.  Just work it across the teeth.  The teeth will cut grooves in the laminate and the laminate will lift out the crud.  Works fine on soft metals too.  I have never tried it on something as fine as a needle file, but think it should work.

[DutchGramps]

Ammonia attacks copper and brass, so you could try to loosen the crud in an ammonia bath, and afterwards use the battery acid treatment to resharpen the files.

[Jim Filipski]

Ammonia attacks copper and brass, so you could try to loosen the crud in an ammonia bath, and afterwards use the battery acid treatment to resharpen the files.

When I shot a lot of centerfire varmint guns I used to use a product by the name of "Sweets" to remove the copper fouling build up in the barrels  from those ultra high velocity rounds. It worked like a charm. Wonder if it could be done with those needle files?
Chalking seems to only work on larger files. Smooth cut needle files seem to clog up with chalk.
That laminate idea sounds interesting Is it formica? is it applied to the file on edge or is it drawn across the wide side?
Thanks
Jim

[ronward]

JW,
   yup, any brand of plastic laminate will work. "formica" brand is one of several. it's been around long enough that in most areas, the name "formica" has come to mean "plastic laminate" of any brand. many people don't even realize there are several other brands.
  the sweets works but it takes forever, because it works molecularly, so a clogged file will take allot of dippings and/or soaking time to remove the amount of brass that clogges a file.....that said, it does do the job, just slowly.

[PIKELAKE]

You can try muriatic acid to clean your files. I have used it with good results to clean old files and just recently used it to clean a file that was loaded with pewter from a knife bolster I poured.  I have to check the files every so often, sometimes it works quicker than other times.

[Dennis Glazener]

When I shot a lot of centerfire varmint guns I used to use a product by the name of "Sweets" to remove the copper fouling build up in the barrels  from those ultra high velocity rounds. It worked like a charm. Wonder if it could be done with those needle files?
Chalking seems to only work on larger files. Smooth cut needle files seem to clog up with chalk.
That laminate idea sounds interesting Is it formica? is it applied to the file on edge or is it drawn across the wide side?
Thanks
Jim

Back in my benchrest centerfire days we used to make "blue goop" by dropping several bullet jackets into 28% ammonia and let them set until the liquid turns blue. Then wipe it in the bore let set a few seconds then use a few more patches wet then work at it with clean patches until they came out clean. I suspect it would work on brass/copper in files.
Dennis

[Acer Saccharum]

I am sorry, Jim, but I tried the brass on a file, and I could not believe the dirt I got out of the teeth.

You must have a sharp corner on the brass, and push it parallel with the tooth pattern. What you want to do is have the teeth form into the grooves until the brass is formed to the file. THEN it really removes metal. Never had much luck with a brush of any kind with stubborn stuck tooth filling junk.

Tom

[bluenoser]

That laminate idea sounds interesting Is it formica? is it applied to the file on edge or is it drawn across the wide side?
Thanks
Jim
[/quote]

As Ron mentioned, formica is a brand name.  Any similar plastic laminate will do.  Work the edge or end of it across the teeth while holding it at an angle as you would if you were slicing a piece of the file off with a knife.  The end works best for me because I am dealing with less surface area at a time.  Line the grooves you create with the first few strokes up with the teeth as you advance along the file.  Adjust the angle to get the best results.

[RWood]

A brass "toothbrush" style brush trimmed down to about a 1/8 of a inch works for all but the most stuborn clog for me.

[jwh1947]

Former schoolteacher uses blackboard chalk.  Remember blackboards?

[Artificer]

Former schoolteacher uses blackboard chalk.  Remember blackboards?

Remember the sound of someone scraping finger nails on blackboards?   My skin still crawls just thinking about it.  Grin.

[tiswell]

         Guys,
             Although it seems like the question has been well answered, I wanted to throw this in the mix. I have long been using brass cartridge casings with the neck flattened (as in squeezed in a vise). The thin edge conforms to the file teeth quickly to push the crud from the bottom of the teeth. The body of the case is an adequate handle. I use 30-06 cases because they are plentiful, a 300 win mag case would yield a slightly longer"handle" area and would probably be better.

                                                                                                                                                             Bill

       
   

[Benedict]

A piece of aluminum also works well to push the "crud" out of the teeth of a file.

Bruce

[Kelhammer]

     The best way to fix this problem is to stop clogging your files.   I am not joking.   When in use, brush your file regularly with a file brush.  I am picky about my files to a degree that is probably not healthy, but I have a few that are over 10 years old that still cut wonderfully.  These are files that get used on a daily basis too.  On soft metals, like aluminum or copper, I brush out my file as soon as I feel any loading up of the teeth.  This might mean as often as every 2 to 3 cuts, between cleanings. 
     There have been several posts here about using files, and how to care for them.  I would encourage everyone to read them, as there is definitely a right and wrong way to use a file.  Members have made suggestions about how to properly break in a new file, on keeping different sets of files for different kinds of metals, lots of good, fundamental information.  If you want your tools to last a long time, take it seriously, and you'll always have a nice sharp file at hand.  Andy 

[DutchGramps]

         Guys,
             Although it seems like the question has been well answered, I wanted to throw this in the mix. I have long been using brass cartridge casings with the neck flattened (as in squeezed in a vise). The thin edge conforms to the file teeth quickly to push the crud from the bottom of the teeth. The body of the case is an adequate handle. I use 30-06 cases because they are plentiful, a 300 win mag case would yield a slightly longer"handle" area and would probably be better. 
Bill

Even better: .50 BMG....