Mill File

[SGKent]

Need to buy a couple of files for work in the shop. In years past I just ran over to Sears but these days I think anything from there is going to be soft Chinese steel.

Anyone see lately a good brand of mill / flat files that hold up well? I use them for everything from body work to filing a hoe or ax.

 

[TireTracks]

Nicholson(sp). They are probably the best USA ones I can find.

 

[SGKent]

I guess I should update this. In doing a search here before I posted nothing came up but on Google in the last hour I found an old thread here that stated the Craftsman files have a lifetime warranty. Oh boy - I have enough used ones in the drawer to be fit for life when they get exchanged tomorrow. I did verify online that it is lifetime. So - off to Sears. Bad news is that it is still a cheap file - but it is free..... I just cringe at the ones I've dropped, shattered and tossed over the years. Apparently Nicholson is good and Swiss are better if you can find them. Sacramento is not known for lots of high end tool shops. Most have been run off by HF. Thank you for your suggestion of Nicholson.

 

[signcrafter]

Nicholson(sp). They are probably the best USA ones I can find.

I'm pretty sure Nicholson went over seas a year or two ago.

 

[Jawn]

Last Nicholson I bought was Brazilian made.

 

[TireTracks]

Damn. Well atleast the ones in the local ace, were still usa.

 

[Tig Master]

I'm pretty sure Nicholson went over seas a year or two ago.

Nicholson still in business owned by Cooper tools.

T

 

[lotsoftools]

I bought a Nicholson last week, made in Mexico.

 

[BD1]

Check flea markets for files and the ''Hot Deals" thread. Last year a member posted Nicholson file deals on Amazon, they were almost free. Mine were made in USA.

 

[Kevin54]

I guess I should update this. In doing a search here before I posted nothing came up but on Google in the last hour I found an old thread here that stated the Craftsman files have a lifetime warranty. Oh boy - I have enough used ones in the drawer to be fit for life when they get exchanged tomorrow. I did verify online that it is lifetime. So - off to Sears. Bad news is that it is still a cheap file - but it is free..... I just cringe at the ones I've dropped, shattered and tossed over the years. Apparently Nicholson is good and Swiss are better if you can find them. Sacramento is not known for lots of high end tool shops. Most have been run off by HF. Thank you for your suggestion of Nicholson.

Keep us posted on the Sears returns. Hopefully you'll have enough to get the manager and half the staff involved.

 

[Squankum]

HJE has one left?

http://store.harryepstein.com/cp/Nicholson/21694H.html

 

[koditten]

I was told that you can sharpen files by putting them in an acid bath, any truth to this?

KO

 

[SGKent]

Keep us posted on the Sears returns. Hopefully you'll have enough to get the manager and half the staff involved.

Plan B. The accountants and stock traders of the world are in a conspiracy to destroy us. Went thru all my Craftsman tools and grabbed anything that was getting towards the ends of its life. Figured might as well make this a single trip. I took in about 12 files. They had 2, the other models they don't carry anymore (or make). What they had is black steel instead of the grey steel like they used to. Made in Honduras. The screw drivers they had. The double open end wrenches (two sizes on each) they don't carry anymore either. I was amazed how few tools they had compared to 5 years ago. Turning into a 7-11 approach to tools.

 

[trbomax]

So what did they give you for the ones they dont have or make anymore ,besides a kiss?

 

[SGKent]

So what did they give you for the ones they dont have or make anymore ,besides a kiss?

nothing was worth exchanging for. I hoped they would have them online but online they have less than in the store. It was just a matter of time I guess after Sears went BK and K-mart bought them that things like this would happen. The Bain Capitals and JP Morgans of the world need middle class fodder to keep their ponzi scheme going. It is just a shame to see a brand that once was so great now so so. Guess I will have to order a couple good files online now. More money out of my pocket but I can't be without good tools. What do they say - for want of a nail the shoe was lost... How does America retool with Chinese files?

 

[Squankum]

How does America retool with Chinese files?

Who needs tools to rap, write software, or orchestrate financial and real estate deals?

 

[Thruxton]

I was told that you can sharpen files by putting them in an acid bath, any truth to this?

KO

Nope- the acid will attack everything, which means the cutting edges will be eroded as well as the rest of the surface. Not much you can do about a dull file (unless it's triangular, then you can make a deburring tool). But that brings up a thought! Not to hijack the thread, but what do folks do with their worn out files? I'll post a new thread if this doesn't get answers.

 

[Nelson58]

Bought a Nicholson set a month or more ago, Mexico and Brazil. The old Cooper name was covered with a sticker from a new holding company. The Mexican ones were ****, the Brazilian ones weren't even THAt good. The tang was rough with burrs and sharp and it didn't even look like they bothered to harden them. Real junk.

So I need a new, decent set. Someone suggested this Simonds set:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050EBJTM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

More expensive, but they have handles and are supposed to be better quality.


Nelson

 

[rippered]

www.boggstool.com

I have heard these guys do a great job resharpening.

 

[dandan111]

I wonder how much they charge$ to sharpen a file?

 

[rlitman]

I was told that you can sharpen files by putting them in an acid bath, any truth to this?

KO

Yes actually. It's how microplane rasps are manufactured too.
Chemical sharpening certainly works to some extent (but there is a limit to how sharp it can get). No, chemical erosion does not attack everything evenly. This is similar to how the chemical for sharpening TIG tungsten electrodes works.

 

[Thruxton]

I wonder how much they charge$ to sharpen a file?

I just took a look, pricing is on the web site and looks pretty reasonable.

 

[jzt]

**** Isle? Where?

 

[Thruxton]

Yes actually. It's how microplane rasps are manufactured too.
Chemical sharpening certainly works to some extent (but there is a limit to how sharp it can get). No, chemical erosion does not attack everything evenly. This is similar to how the chemical for sharpening TIG tungsten electrodes works.

Interesting, thanks for the info.

 

[rlitman]

Interesting, thanks for the info.

Sure. BTW, "electropolishing" works in exactly the opposite manner.

 

[koditten]

**** Isle? Where?

Took me a while to get it BTW, your avitar, has to be one of the top ten dumbest movies. Of course I liked it.

KO

 

[willymakeit]

For people wanting good files,I'd ask a saw filer at a sawmill. They still use good files.

 

[Thedroid]

I think the Brazilian Nicholsons work just fine. I haven't noticed a difference, and I've also found that the Craftsman files work fine also. No US file choices to be found anymore.

 

[WWIIjeep]

www.boggstool.com

I have heard these guys do a great job resharpening.

They do. They won't always sharpen every file you send them--some get rejected for one reason or another at no charge--but the ones they do process come back as good as new.

I wonder how much they charge$ to sharpen a file?

Depends on the size and shape, but generally far far less than the cost of a new file of good quality. Check here for general pricing information:

http://boggstool.com/page5.html

They've also got a special discount offer right now for new customers.

I think the Brazilian Nicholsons work just fine. I haven't noticed a difference, and I've also found that the Craftsman files work fine also. No US file choices to be found anymore.

Agreed on the Brazilian Nicholsons still being OK. Cooper hasn't quite yet succeeded in turning Nicholson into another one of their has-been brands.

Another option is Simonds. They still make files. In the past, they were just as good as Nicholson.

http://www.simonds.cc/mnu/pmenu.php?menu=mnuPFiles

But, it would be wise to check with them before buying, to see where they're being made now.

 

[terryo1965]

I talked to a guy at Simonds a few months ago when I was looking for body files. He told me all Simonds files are made out of the country. In fact he said there isn't a manufacturer left still making files in the USA. If it's true, it's kind of disturbing news. Even when most manufacturers jump ship, it's seems like there are always a couple hold outs in every other industry.

 

[Thruxton]

I took a look at the Boggs Tool Web site, evidently Warrensvile and Grobet still sell some files made in the USA.