Restorations #6: Nicholson 10” X-F No. 0 File

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This is part 6 in a 10 part series: Restorations

Extra fine, aka dead smooth, made in USA.

There is something very satisfying about restoring a usable file that was destined for the trash.

Got this one for $5


Here is the before (file on the far left; it was completely rusted — minus a small part that I wire brushed to get a sense of whether the teeth were still sharp … and they are).

Devin,

Nice job restoring that file.

daveg, SW Washington & AZ

Thanks! You’ll be seeing a lot more. I have restored over 50 files this year alone.

There is a method to my madness.
I have an old file card and it works good to clean the old files so they are sharp again. That is a good file you restored..They are the best kind I buy!

Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day

I have wondered if a file could be sharpened by immersing in an acid bath for a while.  Allowing sufficient metal to be removed to the point that the dull edges would become sharp.

Any opinions?

Carey Mitchell

I think acid of any nature indiscriminately removes material in an uncontrolled manner that results in something other than the very specific range of angles on bevels and clearances required to work. I use acid (such as vinegar) as a last resort