Hello folks, I have another rather simple question. As many of you
know, I seem to be a copper freak. One of my favorite files is a 6"
Swiss made #4 cut half round file. It gets used a lot. I’ve tried to
clean it with a file card and a stainless steel toothbrush (serious
hygeine) and am still only having moderate success cleaning it out.
I’ve read in the past that files can be cleaned or possibly
sharpened even by dipping them in some acid mixture. I don’t
remember what acids were used but I have another idea to clean my
file and I’d appreciate opinions. I think it’ll work well but I
value your advice. I’m thinking of dipping it into the ferric
chloride solution I use for etching copper on occasion. I know it’ll
get rid of the copper nicely and I don’t forsee any damage to the
file. Ferric chloride, as I understand it, is a salt resulting from
cleaning steel with hydrochloric acid. Seems to me it’d be ideal for
this application but I’ll wait to see what y’all have to say about
it. I like my little file and don’t want to ruin it. Thanks in
advance, you folks are great!
Mike