The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-18
HANDMADE FILES.
AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF A
DELICATE PROCESS.

Workmen Become So Accurate That They
Could Go on If They Became Blind-Me-
chanics Held It to Be an Art In Which
Machinery Could Not Compete.
Rasps and files in the hands of first
GLASS mechanic rise to the dignity Of tools
of the first order in machine shop. To
"file square" is test of skill which has
caused many braggart to lower his crest,
and an A / wise hand is treasure in a
shop where finishing is done on the bench.
To file square means to file true; to finish
the face of the work without marring 1t
with scratches and rounding surfaces, and
to do this as regular everyday thing, Is
an art to be won only through practice
and long experience. Files ruin thousands
of dollars worth of work, and files add
factured product.
In some Of the machine shops Of Chica-
90 are gray haired mechanics who have
worn overalls for 40 years and more. They
remember we'll the time when machine
made files were held up to ridicule and
scorn and when all first class, we'll known
makes of files were out by hand. Some OF
these old fellows still insist that machine
made files are not and never can be rs
good as the files which are cut by hand,
and they carry this prejudice to such an
extent that they declare they cannot do
good work with the machine cut files.
1t would be difficult for them to tell the
difference between the two makes Of files,
for within comparatively few years ma
chimes have been making files that cannot
be approached by the most expert file out
ters of Sheffield. Files, and many OF them,
are still cut by hand, and a file Gutter Is
probably the most expert user of a ham
mer and cold chisel in the industrial world.
Files and rasps are made Of steel which
varies from the "blistered" steel for the
poorer quality of files to the best crucible,
or "cast cast" steel, for the higher grades.
The blanks are prepared for the file cutter
BY forging the stang" or tapered point
for the handle, and shaping the steel to
the proper form under die or press. The
blanks are thoroughly annesled or soften
ed, and are perfectly clean and free from
scale when laid on the bench Of the work
man who cuts the teeth.
A file cutter generally works on the
same kind of "cut" year In and year
out. This gives him a mechanical perfec-
ton which cannot be secured in any other
way, and 1t Is said that a workman's
hand becomes so accustomed to the spac.
ing that were he to become blind he could
cut just as well.
Files are made Of many forms to suit
the great variety of work which they are
called upon to do, but the "cuts'' which
give coarseness and 1neness to files are
comparatively few. They are known as
trough, ""bastard, "smooth" and "dead
smooth" These are the common "cuts. "
FLOATS" are single cut files, and double
out files are made by crossing the first
cut with second cut, thus changing the
parallel, unbroken cutting edges OF the
floats into numerous points.
When face, or one or more edges on
file, is left uncut, 1T Is said to be safe. u
No matter what the form Of the file Is,
whether fat square, round, half round,
rat tail, three square or knife edged, the
cutting is done the same way. A short
light, steel cold chisel, with q broad,
straight cutting edge, Is used. The ham
mer is q curious looking affair, for 1t IL
curved somewhat, and the handle Is In
serted we'll toward the smaller end. The
hammer weighs from one to six pounds
In striking the workman gives peculiar
pulling blow which raises the ''bur" ano
gives the particular cut characteristic o1
files, and 1t was this cut that for nearly
200 years prevented inventors from design
ing machinery which would cut flt
equal to the hand cut article.
The workman sits on low bench which
comes out from long wide bench. Before
him Is his anvil, usually stone block OF
, q slab of iron. The blanks are held II
place by straps which pass over the tanG
and point, and then form loop or stirruI
under the anvil. The workman puts hi
foot in the loop, and thus holds the. .blanl
secure while he Is cutting it. He holds th'
ohisel between the finger and thumb O
!, the left hand, and after each cut moves th'
blank slightly for the next cut. He doe
this by lifting the chisel over the bur ant
then pressing the point of the tool agains
the raised edge just out at the same tim'
Ioosening the strap 80 that the blank Cal
be moved.
In cutting small files or smooth or deaf
smooth files the hammer blows, movemen
of the chisel, loosening the straps, moving
the blank, Tightening the strap and strik
!. ing the next blow are done so rapidly tina
they are nearly simultaneous. The hoa
cut is made first, and then the second GU
is made. In making the second cut tn
workman strikes the chisel with less force,
thus making a shallower cut If the file i
to be cut on the other side, the cut side i
laid upon plate Of lead or pewter to pro
tect the cutting edges. If the file Is othel
than q fat shape, the lead or pewter Il
grooyed or followed out to ft the shape.
: After cutting, the files are hardened, TO
the annealing makes the steel so soft tina
the first use Of tho file would bend the cut
ting edges. Some files are curved befor'
being tempered. This is done by heating
the cut files to dull red and bending
them to the required curve over woodel
block with a wooden mallet. The files t.
b. hardened are first covered with a mix
ture of salt and some sort Of carbonaceou
substance. This covering serves tWofolt
purpose-it prevents the teeth from oxida
tion and from losing the carbon In tn
steel, and by fusing indicates the prope
heat for tempering. 1t also serves to pre-
f vent cracking when the file Is suddenl:
plunged into the cooling liquid whiol
: gives the file the temper.
Naturally heated file suddenly coole'
will warp more or less according to 1t
! form. This Is prevented by giving the Ill
:, "set" in the other direction before 1t
, tempered, so that the tendency to war;
actually straightsns the file. When tn
.. steel has reached the proper heat, the Ill
5 is lifted from the fire by the tang and sud
,, denly immersed in cold water, and befor
II has oroupn cold IT. is Withdrawn and pu