Everything on that table is a quarter.

[Moses Yoder]

Friday the fourth on the way to my inlaws we went past an estate sale, my wife refused to stop and it was her car so she was driving. So yesterday morn I drive down just a half mile from our house right at 8 o'clock, they weren't open yet but looked like they were going to be later. I started some work on the shop and at 9:30 tried it again, open this time. I saw the usual 60's furniture and misc. bed sheets under an awning then looked back and saw a small shed with some stuff on a table. I started walking back and the lady says "Everything on that table is a quarter!" I turned and asked her to make sure I had heard right. Some stuff is more like cro-magnon but I figure we can all appreciate vintage tools. I found a patented wire crimper, very cool, patented tap handle that takes three different sizes, a vintage K-Mart drill that works, grinder/wire wheel that I will probably fix up and use, a magnetic bit holder, small drill bit for brace, small hammer head, and an allen wrench set. There were a bunch of rusty files there but I didn't want to pay 25 cents each for a dozen files so I left them, also an old screwdriver blade in need of a handle. I paid $2 for my stuff and headed home.

As I was working the files started working on me. One had a nice little handle, one I think can be used for auger bits, and then there was the old screwdriver. An hour later I went back and picked them all off the table then went to negotiate. I went up to the cash box table and told the lady I thought 25 cents for each old file was a bit much and she replied "How about a dollar for the hand full?" I replied "Well I was thinking they are worth $2 to me." She says "How about a compromise then; $1.50 for the lot." I paid and left.

Cleaning up rusty files; can I just clean up the files with a wire wheel or will that dull them? I have a few miter saws that I think these small files would be right for sharpening them.

292420292421

[Bill Houghton]

People speak highly of a company called Boggs Tool that sharpens files through a chemical dip process (I have no direct experience with them; just passing along what I've heard). Good prices, too, apparently. http://www.boggstool.com/

[steven c newman]

Just get a bottle of Vinegar, and soak them in it for awhile..

[Derek Cohen]

I have just restored a dozen old files by leaving them to soak for a week in a bucket of water mixed with (3 small tubs of) citric acid. The citric acid is in powder form and usually available from the supermarket (in the baking section).

I mentioned this to a couple of school woodwork teachers who came to visit my shop last weekend. They tested them, and could not believe how sharp they were - it was possible to compare sharpened and unsharpened files.

Some of these files were bordering on being thrown in the waste metal drawer.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kim Malmberg]

Derek
This is very interesting. I will try it. But just wondering. I file saws quite frequently and this wears down the teeth on the file, eventually rendering them useless. I can't understand how this process would actually bring back the sharpness on a worn saw file. Will the acid magically deepen the teeth on the file or is the benefit only applicable to files with larger teeth?

[David Weaver]

Kim, as you're suspecting, it's not a good method for worn saw files. it's better for larger files with larger teeth that don't take a whole lot of wear at one time.

[Dan Hintz]

For the files, a brass wire wheel should do you up nicely...

[Moses Yoder]

I decided to try the citric acid, was at the grocery store and found some today. These files are largely unused but rusty; I think this is the case with most garage sale files. The citric acid should remove the rust with very little effort on my part while leaving the shape of the teeth intact.

[David Weaver]

Moses, you'll probably find that some of the teeth have been eaten away from those files by rust, but you can always use them for final finish stuff on wood (after a rasp) etc, if they're too far gone, or keep them in a box in case you'd like to do something like hammer out a fishtail chisel or just about anything else.

They're worth having just to have some stock around to grind.

[Derek Cohen]

Moses, don't be tempted to remove the files before a week is up. The steel is very hard and the acid is mild.

At the end of a week, remove the files and scrub them with brush under water. Immediately spray them with oil to preven flash rust.

Regards from Perth

Derek