The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-05-07
HANDMADE FILES.
AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF A
DELICATE PROCESS.

AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF A
DELICATE PROCESS.
workmcn Become So Accurate That Thsy
Could Go On II They Became BIind-Me-
chsnics Held It to BE IN Art In which
Machinery Could Not Compete.
Rasps and files in tho hands OF first
olass mechanic rise to the dignity OF tools
Of the first order In machine shop. To
"fle square" is a test Of skill which has
caused many braggart to lower his crest
and an A wise hand II treasure In
shop where finishing Is done on the bench.
To file square means 10 file true; to finish
the face Of the work without marrirg IL
with scratches and rounding surfaces, and
to do this O regular everyday thing, 10
an art to be won only through practice
and long experience. Files ruin thousands
Of dollars worth Of work, aud files hid
thousands Of dollars to tho value Of manu-
factured product.
In some Of the machine shops Of ChlGa
60 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
makes Of files were cut by hand. Some of
these old fellows still insist that machine
made files are not and never can be as
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.
It would bc difficult for them to tell the
difference botween tho two makes OF dles,
for within comparatively few years mo
chimes have been making files that cannot
be approached by the most expert file out.
ters Of Sheffield. Files, and many OF them,
arc still cut b. hand, and file cutter II
probably the most expert user Of ham.
mer and cold ohisel In tho industrial world.
Files and fnsps are made Of steel which
varies from the ''blistered" steel for the
poorer quality Of files to the best crucib!e,
or "cast cast" steel, for the higher grades.
The blanks arc prepared for the file cutter
BY forging the "tang," or tapcred point
Tor tho hahdle, and shaping tho steel TO
the proper form under die or press. Tho
blanks are thoroughly anpea!ed or soften.
ed, and are perfectly clean and free from
scale when laid on the bench OF tho 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 o mechanical perfec-
tion which cannot be secured In any other
way, and it is said that workman's
rnCkr SaFJ n n n.
Ing that were he to become blind no could
cut just as well.
Files arc made Of many forms to suit
the great variety Of work which they arc
called upon to DO, but the "cuts" which
give ooarseness and hneness 70 files arc
comparatively few. They are known %
rough, ""bastard, /" smooth" and dead
smooth" These are tho common ''cuts.
Floats" are single cut files, and double
cot files arc made by crossing tho first
cut with second ont, thus changing the
parallel, unbroken cutting edges Of the
floats into numerous points.
When face, or ono or moro edges on Q
Ale, IL left uncut, IL II said TO be safe. !"
No matter what the form OF the dle Ii,
whether Dat, square, round, half round,
rat tall, three square or knife edged, the
cutting Ii done the Same way. A short
light, steel cold chisel, with . broad,
straight cutting edge, Is used. The ham.
mer is curious looking affair, for II u
curved somewhat, and the handle is In.
serted well toward the smaller end. The
hammer weighs from ono to SIX pounds.
In striking the workman gives o peculiar
pulling blow which raises the "bur" and
Riyes the particular cut characteristic OF
Hles, and 1t was this cut that for nearly
200 years prevented inventors from design.
Ing machinery which would cut nle
equal to the hand cut article.
The workman sits on low bench which
comes out from o long wide bench. Before
him Ii bis anvil, usually stone block or
q slab of iron. The blanks are held In
place by straps which pass over the tang
and point, and then form loop or stirrup
under the anvil. Tho workman puts bis
foot In the loop, and thus holds the blank
secure while he !s cutting It. He holds the
shissl between the finger and thumb OF
the left hand, and after each cut moves the
blank slightly for tho next cut. He does
this by lifting the chisel over the bur and
then pressing the point Of the tool against
tho raised edge Just out, at tho same time
loosening the strap 90 that the blank can
be moved.
In cutting small files or smooth or dead
smooth files tho hammer blows, movement
Of the chisel, loosening tho straps, moving
tho blank, tightening tho strap and strik.
Ing the next blow arc done SO rapidly that
they arc nearly Simultaneous. The foat
cut Ia made first, and then tho second cut
L. made. In making tho second cut the
workman strikes tho chisel with Less force,
thus making o shallower out. II tho fle 70
to be cut on the other side, the cut side 10
laid upon plate Of lead or pswter to pro-
tect the cutting edges. II tho fle Is other
than q Cat shape, the lead or pewter Is
Rrooved or followed out to Ht the shape.
After cutting. the files are hardened, for
the anncaling makes the steel 30 soft that
the first use Of tho file would bend the cut
ting edges. Some fles are curved before
being tempered. This Is done BY heating
the cut files to o dull red and bending
them to the required curve over . wooden
block with Q wooden mallet. The dles 70
be hardened arc first covered with o mix.
ture Of salt and some sort Of carbonaceous
substance. This covering serves twofold
purpose-it prevents the teeth from oxida-
tion and from losing the carbon In tho
steel, and by fusing indicates the proper
hent for tempering. II also serves TO pre-