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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Files- best ones and where to get them
- Thread starter curtis K
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 37,721
I don't agree that "good tools/files are hard to come by". They are easily come by...... you just need to buy them from the places people who want good tools shop.
A better phrase would be "good tools don't come cheaply."
Magicut files are superb for knifemaking. Most people recommend Nicholson files, but there are many good brands. All the knife supplier companies sell good files, as do most industrial suppliers, machine shop suppliers, and woodworking suppliers.
For starters, get:
10-12" flat bastard ( magicut is great here)
10-12" second cut
10" finishing file
10" half round bastard or second cut
1/4" round file
Lots of good quality metal grade sandpaper in 100 through 800 grit ( or up to 2500 if you want shiny blades). 3M wet-or-Dry and brands like Rhynowet, Norton, and others, are all great. Wet sanding is much better than dry sanding. Use plain water and a few drops of dish soap, or spritz with Windex. If you don't have a supplier you deal with Tru-grit is a good abrasive supply company for knifemakers.
A better phrase would be "good tools don't come cheaply."
Magicut files are superb for knifemaking. Most people recommend Nicholson files, but there are many good brands. All the knife supplier companies sell good files, as do most industrial suppliers, machine shop suppliers, and woodworking suppliers.
For starters, get:
10-12" flat bastard ( magicut is great here)
10-12" second cut
10" finishing file
10" half round bastard or second cut
1/4" round file
Lots of good quality metal grade sandpaper in 100 through 800 grit ( or up to 2500 if you want shiny blades). 3M wet-or-Dry and brands like Rhynowet, Norton, and others, are all great. Wet sanding is much better than dry sanding. Use plain water and a few drops of dish soap, or spritz with Windex. If you don't have a supplier you deal with Tru-grit is a good abrasive supply company for knifemakers.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2006
- Messages
- 3,158
As far as good files go, most USA made Nicholson are good. The late model Mexico and Brazil are not very good at all. Simonds brand files are very good as well as Pferd and Grobet. Iwasaki is a Japanese file company....very good files. I use files to cut bevels on my knives for the most part and as such use two files.....the 14" Pferd chipbreaker file (amazon.com) for extreme rapid steel removal, and a Pferd or Simonds 14" double cut bastard. I don't bother with fine cut files at all.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2006
- Messages
- 7
I'd actually taken Stacy's advice about files and ordered a set from MSC. Nicholson. These are current Mexican made items, and all five files were variously bowed, twisted and missing teeth. I've just gotten a return authorization, and these pieces of hardened scrap metal are going back. At least the lady at MSC was really nice...
Now, the hunt for NOS USA made -- or at least good condition flea market finds --Nicholsons begins. Or maybe I'll just order some German or Swiss ones.
Now, the hunt for NOS USA made -- or at least good condition flea market finds --Nicholsons begins. Or maybe I'll just order some German or Swiss ones.