Draw filing

Newbie needing to know what or if there is particular kind of file to use on a barrel? Any tips for draw filing an octagon barrel?

Mill bastard, held across the barrel and only drawn towards you. Handle end to the left.

As @waksupi said, single cut mill bastard.

Also do a forum search for draw filing. Tons of good information. Take some time and read through them and a lot of questions will get answered.

Along with the above - I like to put one end in my vice and the other end on my stool between my legs and take long strokes if possible.

You've already been given good information and references. Only thing I would add is patience. Draw filing a barrel takes a great deal of time and effort. A man who knows how and has enough patience can machine a surface with a file VERY precisely. If you want to, you can even make a round barrel by draw filing.

Think of your file as a hand-operated milling machine and you will have a good start on the proper attitude. I haven't done a significant amount of draw-filing since about 1974 or so and that was on an aluminum work piece. I still know the procedure though.

Another item you will need is called a "file card". This is basically a wire brush with very short bristles that is used to clean the channels in the file. Don't try to do this with a bare file, get a properly sized handle for the file unless you like cuts and blisters. You should be able to find these items at any hardware store... same place you could buy the file. Bigger is better as well. The wider your file is, the more precise it will be generally. In theory, you could draw file a barrel with a three-cornered file a half inch on each side, but you will have a relatively uneven surface on your work piece.

Also, files are brittle. If you attempt to putt too much pressure against it, you can break it right over the pressure point. Easy does it. Plan to take at least a few months... or maybe a year.

As you are going for an octagon barrel, you want a combination square to check your angles. This is a relatively common tool and has both forty-five and ninety degree angles on it. I would suggest making the ninety degree surfaces first and then do the forty-five degree surfaces, but others might do it differently.

You really need a good vise, one that is equipped with either aluminum or wooden jaws. These are easy to make from base materials. Don't try to clamp your work piece in un-padded steel jaws unless you want to spend hours filing out scratches you put in the work piece. I have heard of people who clamp the work piece on a work bench, but that seems a bit difficult to me.

If you got a concrete floor, put a rubber pad down. First, you will be spending a lot of time on that floor and your feet will appreciate the padding. Also, pretty good chance you will drop the file and/or the work piece. Either can be damaged by a concrete floor.

Once you have finished, I would appreciate reading about your experiences. I've got an octagon barrel that I am thinking about making into a half-round barrel with a "wedding band", and I don't have a lathe.

Go to the local stuff-mart and buy a box of sidewalk chalk. Rub the chalk on the file to fill the space between the teeth. This will help keep shavings from building up and marring the surface. Clean the file frequently, and use lots of chalk

you can also steal a bottle of baby powder from the wife and kids. and it usually smells good.

Thanks for all the info, I have read through a lot using the search, just couldn’t find anything on the type of file. Can I get it at harbor freight or is it something I should get a name brand of.

halman said:

Thanks for all the info, I have read through a lot using the search, just couldn’t find anything on the type of file. Can I get it at harbor freight or is it something I should get a name brand of.

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You can get a serviceable mill bastard file at Harbor Freight. A name brand one can cost you twice the money and you won't be able to notice any difference until you are old and grey... if even then. That "mill bastard" designation is important... the name brand is not so long as the quality is there. We are not really talking about a great deal of money here. Amazon sells one by Stanley for a bit over $16.00... though I seriously doubt that Stanley actually made it. Harbor Freight sells a four-file set for less than that and it probably came from the same factory.

I personally don't care what the person who runs the machines that make the files looks like, ('cause I don't plan to marry him/her and have children with her) and the skill level is relatively unimportant in this day and age as well. We don't employ blacksmiths to hand cut files with a sharp chisel any longer... which is probably a good thing as such a tool would be inferior and much more expensive... not to mention that very few people would know how to begin such a project.

In short, buy what you want for your own reasons. You won't be saving or losing all that much money either way.

Any type of filing is an ‘art’. When I started my Engineering Apprenticeship many years ago we spent the first few weeks learning and practicing that art.
Somewhere I still have a steel and brass dice that I made with filing taking at least 90% of the manufacture. Happy days!

It's alot easier than it sounds (though I've only done 3) and very satisfying. Assuming your starting with a quality barrel it won't take long to remove the machining marks from the top 5 flats. Some Dykem layout fluid will tell you where you need to focus your attention.

halman said:

Thanks for all the info, I have read through a lot using the search, just couldn’t find anything on the type of file. Can I get it at harbor freight or is it something I should get a name brand of.

Click to expand...

I’d rather have 1 -$20 Nicholson file than 4-$5 Chinese.
Also, get one 8 or even better a 10” long file so you can grip with the palm of your hands on each side of the barrel.
Good luck - it’s not hard.

As 52Bore said above get a better file than a HF one. I have some lathe files that are made in India and find them to work and last long enough. I have three and use one often (8 years + now). I also prefer 8 -10-inch files for the job. Go ahead and buy a HF file and try it you may find it will do what you want it to. I also do not find that chalk does any good for me but a file card does - wire bristles on one side and nylon bristles on the other. Use the file card OFTEN

FWIW Jim Kibler has excellent 'how to' videos on draw filing! Even better, he recommends 'Bahco' brand mill files and I bought 1 each of the 8" 2-0 and 3-0 mill cut files ($12-$15 each) that he recommends ... and they cut FASTER than any other file I've ever owned! Even better than any $20 or more US-branded one ... I hate to say!

Easy does it around the sight dovetail you don't want to make them to thin. Ask me how I know.

I use Johnson brand 14" mill files. I see they are available for $5 on the internet. I bought a whole box of them a while back. They make a smooth cut and are not prone to pin. I can work a flat in about 5 minuets. These file make chips that look like steel wool. After draw filing I go over it with maroon scotchbrite to blend, then brown.

Since the barrel will be browned there is no need to over polish. The browning will etch the surface and obliterates all but the deepest file marks. To me that look fine. IF it were a high gloss finish that would look weird to me.

File cards have hardened steel wires that dull your file. Use a brass BBQ brush. Any pins can be cleared with a smashed cartridge case. I work my way down the file to a fresh spot each pull. I then flip the file and do it again. I then brush both sides and start again. I use sharpie marker cross hatching to check on what I am filing on the flat. The right lighting makes a reflection on the work that can be used to monitor progress.

I put some light oil on my good files between uses. Having a good file rust is frustrating.

I have no use for modern Nicholson files.

I use chalkboard chalk and rub it into the file. Helps to keep the file cutting too deep into the metal.

Some great videos on YouTube that can help you. First Jim Kibler himself has a couple that will help you immensely. 'I love muzzleloading' also has a video that can help you and give you some good tips. Mike Bellevue has a ton of videos that are filled with tons of information on muzzleloading and the building of muzzleloaders. All are great sites with great information.

I use a Lathe Bastard File, using chalk and a card. I can do a 48" barrel in about 20 hours and have it slick as a baby butt. It has a learning curve, keeping it flat, pulling only a few inches at a time, clean as much as you pull taking time to be sure and keeping flat and square. Let the file do the work, add pressure and you'll create ugly cuts in the surface. Clean, add chalk and go steady, learn the feel.