Jonathan McCullough
10-04-2012, 2:16 PM
There's been a lot of discussion about the state of currently manufactured rasps. Over the years I've picked up a bunch of rasps, files, and Vixen-type files from flea markets and garage sales, usually paying $1 or so apiece. These are usually under a clutter of junk at the bottom of old wooden tool boxes or spread out on tarps, and were made by Nicholson, Simonds, Heller, or branded as "Craftsman." To be sure, I've come across a lot of rasps that are just too far gone, where the cutting edges have been crushed, or have rubbed up against files for years and years, or had an unacceptable amount of pitting rust. I passed by these in favor of rasps that seemed to be good candidates for Boggs Tool Company's rasp sharpening service.
I called them up and they gave me instructions to wrap the tools up with thick kraft paper sufficient to keep them from hurting each other in transit. There's no need to wrap them individually. Sent them by USPS and waited about a week. Some of them had red or black grunk on them, sort of like oil paint but more waxy, others had some wood chips from previous users. Most of them had rust as you can see here.
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0367.jpg
About a week later I got them back. Each rasp was individually wrapped in thick kraft paper that was lubricated with what smelled like 3-in-1 Oil; the half-rounds were wrapped together. The overall appearance was excellent. All of the grunk had been eliminated from the faces of the tools, if not from the tippy most recesses under the teeth, and all the wood chips had been washed away. My understanding is that they use a pressurized steam abrasive technique that's been around for ever, because it's the best way to sharpen rasps and files. If after the process, Boggs determines what you sent them to be "rejects" they paint the tang red; only one of the cabinet files I sent was deemed rejection-able. The service cost about $2 -$3 per file/rasp, plus shipping both ways; obviously I've been saving these up to send a batch.
Here are some pics of the results. The teeth are sharp sharp and catch on the skin admirably. The vixen files are positively vicious--like holding a handful of freshly-sharpened chisels. Definitely demand care and respect, those vixens. Boggs says they sharpen new, never-used tools as well as old ones because they'll be sharper than as-bought. Having seen their work now, I'd tend to agree. Although I haven't had a chance to use them yet, I have had experience with a variety of rasps before, and don't see why these won't be excellent. Will do a follow-up post when I get a chance.
So in summation, if you want to see what all the fuss is about the old Nicholsons, my preliminary results from Boggs are a thumbs-up. If you go raid Grandpa's garage or have a few of these already, this is a good resource. Very pleasant customer service too.
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0382.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0383.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0385.jpg
I called them up and they gave me instructions to wrap the tools up with thick kraft paper sufficient to keep them from hurting each other in transit. There's no need to wrap them individually. Sent them by USPS and waited about a week. Some of them had red or black grunk on them, sort of like oil paint but more waxy, others had some wood chips from previous users. Most of them had rust as you can see here.
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0367.jpg
About a week later I got them back. Each rasp was individually wrapped in thick kraft paper that was lubricated with what smelled like 3-in-1 Oil; the half-rounds were wrapped together. The overall appearance was excellent. All of the grunk had been eliminated from the faces of the tools, if not from the tippy most recesses under the teeth, and all the wood chips had been washed away. My understanding is that they use a pressurized steam abrasive technique that's been around for ever, because it's the best way to sharpen rasps and files. If after the process, Boggs determines what you sent them to be "rejects" they paint the tang red; only one of the cabinet files I sent was deemed rejection-able. The service cost about $2 -$3 per file/rasp, plus shipping both ways; obviously I've been saving these up to send a batch.
Here are some pics of the results. The teeth are sharp sharp and catch on the skin admirably. The vixen files are positively vicious--like holding a handful of freshly-sharpened chisels. Definitely demand care and respect, those vixens. Boggs says they sharpen new, never-used tools as well as old ones because they'll be sharper than as-bought. Having seen their work now, I'd tend to agree. Although I haven't had a chance to use them yet, I have had experience with a variety of rasps before, and don't see why these won't be excellent. Will do a follow-up post when I get a chance.
So in summation, if you want to see what all the fuss is about the old Nicholsons, my preliminary results from Boggs are a thumbs-up. If you go raid Grandpa's garage or have a few of these already, this is a good resource. Very pleasant customer service too.
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0382.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0383.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/DSCF0385.jpg