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Author Topic: What to do with an old, worn out file.  (Read 9935 times)

Offline davec2

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What to do with an old, worn out file.
« on: May 17, 2011, 12:10:17 AM »
Had a worn out one of these that I had sharpened several times and couldn't sharpen any more...not good for much:



Made it into a boot knife that I can sharpen many times...great for all sorts of things.  My version of recycling:












File steel blade, brass and rosewood grip.  I actually made the knife many years ago and just got around to adding inlays in the grip and doing a quick engraving job on it.



« Last Edit: February 21, 2020, 11:37:10 AM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
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Offline Collector

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2011, 12:30:29 AM »
Talk about re-purposed!!  Great piece, both beautiful and practical. 

Q. Do I see thin ebony spacers on either end of those rosewood grip panels?  ???
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Offline cmac

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #2 on: May 17, 2011, 01:12:56 AM »
As always very nice work!
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Ahtuwisae

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2011, 01:18:27 AM »
Hokey smokes...that is beautiful!!!
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Offline draken

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2011, 08:29:12 AM »
Beautiful............just simply beautiful!   Did you make the brass parts also?
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Offline davec2

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2011, 08:52:28 PM »
G. Hansen:  The black spacers are not ebony but pressed horn.

Draken:  Yes, I sawed the brass parts out of 1/2 inch thick brass plate.  The blade tang goes all the way through the grip and is threaded on the end.  The grip parts are stacked on the tang and the pommel is screwed on to hold everything in place.
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

Offline LRB

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2011, 12:03:45 AM »
  Very nice Dave. Exceptional engraving also.
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nthe10ring

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2011, 04:47:21 PM »
Nicely done Dave. I like your style of engraving .

Jerry Fisher
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Offline wattlebuster

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2011, 03:17:47 AM »
Very nice work :)
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Offline Dr. Tim-Boone

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2011, 12:11:51 AM »
hmmm... just a quick engraving job thrown on it eh??  You never cease to amaze Dave!! Beautiful!!
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Offline smylee grouch

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2011, 03:26:04 AM »
Very nice Dave, may I ask what engraving tools you used for to cut the border?  Smylee
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LURCHWV@BJS

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2011, 03:55:46 AM »
Dave,

  That is most definately the BEST recyled file I've ever seen.   I must ask,  I've tried using old files in the past and found them quite brittle to work with.....  Did you heat this up and just shape it ?  Or  Did you do something else?

   Have several that are aching to be recycled....

    Rich
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Offline t.caster

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2011, 07:46:04 PM »
You are just AMAZING!
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Offline davec2

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #13 on: May 25, 2011, 09:03:01 PM »
Thanks.

Smylee:  The border is outlined with a square graver and the nicks on both sides are done with a flat.

Chapple:  The file was tossed into a charcoal fire I set up in an old bar-b-q with a fair amount of charcoal.  I just let the fire burn itself out and cool down slowly.  The file was completely annealed.  I sawed off anything that didn't look like a boot knife, hot forged the double bevel on the blank, and then filed / ground the blade to final shape.  Did most of the polishing while the blade was soft and then hardened and tempered.  Final polishing was done with abrasive cloth / sticks and kerosene.  Cut out the brass and wood parts for the grip and stacked them on the tang for final shaping.  Inlaid the brass diamonds in the grip and finished with the engraving.
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

seesbirds

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #14 on: May 25, 2011, 09:48:19 PM »
Dave,

That is fabulous work! You NEVER cease to amaze and impress.

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Offline Brian

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #15 on: May 31, 2011, 07:17:59 AM »
Your work really is something Dave!  Beautiful. I look at the file - then at the knife - and just shake my head.  Only in my dreams!   :P
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Offline davec2

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2012, 04:40:36 AM »
Well, it took me over a year, but finally got around to making a scabbard for this knife.  (I even had a hard time finding this old post to modify).






« Last Edit: February 21, 2020, 11:17:19 AM by davec2 »
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780

ROSIE

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2012, 08:51:46 PM »
How do you temper a file after it has been anealed?
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Offline davec2

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Re: What to do with an old, worn out file.
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2012, 11:20:31 PM »
David,

I was a high school kid when I made the blade for this knife in 1970 and, at the time knew next to nothing about heat treating steel.  But I did know how to anneal the file to get ready to shape the blade.  After it was shaped, I heated it to a very bright orange in a home made forge and quenched it in brine water.  It was very hard after this and a file would skip across the surface like it was glass.  I also knew enough to draw the blade back some, so I used a propane torch to bring the blade back to a straw color and then let it cool slowly on a block of wood.

I am sure that this was not the correct or optimum method to use, but I didn't even know what kind of steel the file was originally made of, and I sure as heck didn't have the internet to search for information.  Whatever, the process I used worked for this knife and it seems to hold an edge well.

Better files are made of 1095 steel and sometimes W-1.  I would suggest that you look up the correct heat treating process for whatever kind of steel you are using.  Now days, it is really easy to get too much information (some of it wrong) via the internet.  I still use my old dog eared copy of the "Machinery's Handbook, 21st Edition" for almost everything.

Dave C
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"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned... a man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company."
Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1780
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