Turning Old Files Into Knives...Let's Talk About it.

[64Springer]

A decade or so ago I was into knife making. Using large industrial hacksaw blades.

Now I have some really old and really worn out files and rasps. I was going to repurpose them as butterknives, but then I had an idea. Heat em an beat em.

Question: Will the barbs on a rasp reintegrate into the steel when heated and beated or will they become inclusions in the steel? Obviously, inclusions will not take an edge.

What say the knife making group.

 

[Bnewberry]

I haven’t had an issue with an inclusion on the edge in a file knife. That maybe because I grind the edge past any thathappen. Mostly I think the first heat scales the teeth enough to knock them down far enough not to fold.

 

[david58]

My understanding is that the hammer will cure the ills if the steel is hot enough. I used to take boxes of used files to my knife making buddy in past years, but the quality of the files made in Mexico (Nichols) is lower today, and just don't make good knifes. If you files are old, you might have some very good steel.

 

[Loja man]

I’ve not had issues using rasps. Yet I stopped pretty early on because leaf spring was easier to heat treat.

 

[64Springer]

Thanks to all.

Looking in the basement I found some barrel stubs from past M/L projects.

Would barrel steel make good knives?

Was thinking about splitting them in half lengthwise.

 

[Loja man]

Thanks to all.

Looking in the basement I found some barrel stubs from past M/L projects.

Would barrel steel make good knives?

Was thinking about splitting them in half lengthwise.

As far as I have heard most barrel steel dose not have enough carbon to make a decent knife.

 

[Quicksilver]

I make a file knife once in a while, but I have found that saw blade and leaf springs steel work better for me. Most of the time if I’m going to do the work I want the knife to turn out as well and as reliable as possible. I spend the money on a high carbon steel (O1 or 1095) and have Peter’s heat treat due their magic on the blades.

 

[rich pierce]

Some coarse rasps are case-hardened mild steel.

Regular files have more carbon than needed. Careful tempering is required to avoid snapping the blade someday. Some folks think harder is better but on a knife made from a file, I draw the back of the blade to spring temper.

 

[LRB]

Some coarse rasps are case-hardened mild steel.

Regular files have more carbon than needed. Careful tempering is required to avoid snapping the blade someday. Some folks think harder is better but on a knife made from a file, I draw the back of the blade to spring temper.

I used files for many years, and also drew the spines back. Never had one come back. Files with a good heat treat make excellent blades. It would be hard to determine if files have more carbon than needed, it would depend on ones wants or needs up to a point beginning around 1 1/2% carbon, files only have very little more than 1095 if that, depending on the steel used by the producer. It is useful for extra carbides which aid in edge retention. D2 is one of the best steels for edge retention and has 1 1/2% carbon, but it is not used for files. File steel is most often a very plus steel if not forged because of the perfect grain size and structure in quality files is normally unsurpassed and hard to match once changed by forging or over heated during heat treat, or in working with it. AND yes on the rasps. I was given a 2 gallon bucket full of them years back, and every one was just cased mild steel. A nice gesture, but they were totally worthless. When needing to anneal hypereutectic steel, .8% carbon or more, do not bring the heat to more than 1375°/1395°, either a soak heat or two or three repeats. This will spheroidize anneal the steel and make it very workable for drilling of filing without over heating. This process causes the carbon to form into spherical balls that allow drilling or cutting tools to slide by the ball carbides rather than in lamellar sheets which is what ruins drill bits and machine cutters to dull.

 

[Urban Coyote]

Anza knives once used files and/or rasps. At one time I was told Rudy Ruana, Bonner, MT, preferred Studebaker leaf springs. About 20 years ago I managed a project Ruana's grandson was the construction superintendent for and I asked about this but I don't recall the answer.

 

[SOLANCO]

Anza knives once used files and/or rasps. At one time I was told Rudy Ruana, Bonner, MT, preferred Studebaker leaf springs. About 20 years ago I managed a project Ruana's grandson was the construction superintendent for and I asked about this but I don't recall the answer.

Years ago saw a crossbow made from an auto leaf spring. Needed a windlass to cock it. A solution in search of a problem.

 

[Rifleman1776]

To me, most knives made from files look like an attempt to make a knife from a file. Just my tuppence.

 

[LRB]

To me, most knives made from files look like an attempt to make a knife from a file. Just my tuppence.

That is the fault of the maker and not because it was a file.

 

[LRB]

Anza knives once used files and/or rasps. At one time I was told Rudy Ruana, Bonner, MT, preferred Studebaker leaf springs. About 20 years ago I managed a project Ruana's grandson was the construction superintendent for and I asked about this but I don't recall the answer.

From reading years ago, Studebaker springs were of 5160 steel or one very similar. The 5160 is good for choppers. Very shock resistant but not the best for a skinning/dressing blade. His skinning/hunting knives were of a higher carbon steel that held an edge better and more suited for skinning and dressing animals.