PDA

View Full Version : Back to serious work:Handmade riffler files.G.Wilson



george wilson
09-16-2010, 12:59 PM
I have shown some tools that were quickly thrown together,like the mallet and scratch stock. These are riffler files I made from 01 tool steel. They cannot be bought in many of the shapes I have shown,like the tiny"deer foot" ones that are less than 1/16"(more like 1/16" X 1/32") that you can get down into backgrounds to smooth them out.

I was into chiseling brass and wrought iron pistol barrels with classical figures and foliage.

These are thus for metal work,in the finer cuts,which are about like #2 cut needle files. There are more coarsely cut rifflers for wood,about as coarse as a bastard file.

I made a special tooth cutting file similar to a checkering file,but it cuts teeth that have a vertical front edge,and a 45º back side. Checkering files just file "V" grooves.

I checkered the handles on many of these,to enhance the grip for fingers.

The smaller ones are made of 1/8" square 01,and are about 6" long. The larger ones are from 1/4" square steel,about 6" long.

Note that the "fine" or other cut designation are flanked with strawberry leaves,a little stamp I made for making borders around flintlock locks on pistols in England.

I just noticed in picture # 2,there are 4 rifflers I didn't make. I was getting tired yesterday and didn't look carefully enough. Starting from the left,I didn't make #1,#11,#13,and #16. You can tell because they are gray,and mine are all polished. In Picture #2,there are some tools that are special things like a hooked scraper,and a few burnishers.

The special box keeps them from touching each other,and getting dull.

These can be re sharpened by annealing them,and taking a few swipes with the tooth cutting file.

I have shown a coarse side of the file,about 32 tpi.,and a fine side,about 75 tpi.

I made the file by using a milling cutter that is straight up and down on 1 side,and angled at 45º on the other. A horizontal milling cutter. When all the rows of teeth were cut,the file as turned sideways,and cross cuts made so the tooth cutters would actually cut.

I had to cut 1 row at a time,move the milling machine's table so many thousanths sideways,and cut another row. It did take many hours,and at that time I didn't have power feed.

The file for cutting teeth took a lot of time to make,and is not the usual way of making teeth,but it works just fine,and I can easily renew the teeth on my rifflers.


If interest is indicated,I could shoot pictures of the ends of each tool with a proper tripod,and try to get them in better focus.

Will Boulware
09-16-2010, 2:13 PM
Yet again, I'm blown away! Incredible work, sir.

george wilson
09-21-2010, 11:11 AM
I'll try to make some decent close ups of the tips of the tools,Will. I tend to get into posting pictures in spurts.