File Cleaning Query

As a relative newbie to this type of fine metalwork, I have
encountered a problem that I don’t know how to solve. My files
load up, and are the very dickens to clean. A standard file card
doesn’t work, nor does a wire brush. My only solution so far is
very laborious. I use a piece of brass rod like a pick to get as
much of the loading off as I can. Then I use a sharp steel pick
to flick out the remaining parrticles that are stuck. I am using
the same files for everything but pewter and lead.

Can anyone suggest a better way??? Help!

Marrin Fleet
@Marrin_and_Mary_Dell
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
(About halfway between the Gulf of Mexico
and Canada, on the Mississippi River;
home of Elvis and W.C.Handy)

Some people rub chalk on the file which can cause less clogging
and makes the teeth easier to clean.

Tim
Artglotz@acs.eku.edu

   My files load up, and are the very dickens to clean.  A
standard file card doesn't work, nor does a wire brush.  

G’day; my tuppence worth; In the long-ago days when I did
metal-shop work I was taught that one chalked a file before use.
I found this wasn’t a lot of use, particularly with soft metals
like aluminium and copper (didn’t use silver in those days) Only
a little later I found that dipping the file in kerosene worked
well, but spraying it with CRC556 or WD40 was very much better, and
the metal particles (including silver and gold!) dislodge easily
with a wire brush after that treatment. Cheers,

   /\
 / /

/ /
/ /| \ @John_Burgess2
(
___ )
At sunny Nelson NZ

Easy. I use a 5mm (1/4") strip of 1.2mm copper sheet and after a
few passes folowing the cut of the teeth it takes up their shape
and cleans the silver/gold/copper traces out of the file. Ideally
keep one file cleaner for each cut of file. But I don’t even bother
with that.

I guess you could say it acts like lots of your sharp steel picks.

Let me know if this description is not clear.

Brian
B r i a n � A d a m J e w e l l e r y E y e w e a r �
@Brian_Adam1 ph/fx +64 9 817 6816 NEW ZEALAND
Where there are a disproportionate number of Mills & Boon writers

Marrin, Try taking a scrap piece of metal( I use a 1 mm x 6 mm
piece of sterling) and push it crosswise to the lenght and parallel
to the cuts on the file. After you do that a few times you will see
teeth starting to form on your scrap piece and it will begin to dig
down and push out the metal that is loading up your file and it
will work on any cut of file or shape. Just work it into the cuts
of the file to develope the teeth and you will be all set. Michael
Metalwerks@aol.com

Some people rub chalk on the file which can cause less clogging
and makes the teeth easier to clean.

Seems my posting has not appeared… Maybe lost in space!

Anyway I mentioned I use a piece of copper to clean my files. Gets
into the gaps between the teeth batter than any filecard.

Brian
B r i a n � A d a m J e w e l l e r y E y e w e a r �
@Brian_Adam1 ph/fx +64 9 817 6816 NEW ZEALAND
Where there are a disproportionate number of Mills & Boon writers

Dear Marrin,

I sympathise. After more than forty years in jewellery
manufacturing, cleaning files is still a bugbear. While I work
mostly with precious metals, I have used titanium in various forms
for the past decade.

I discovered that a piece of titanium rolled down to around .5mm
and conveniently about the size of a guitar pick works just fine if
used as a scraper. Scraped diagonally along the direction of the
file’s cut, the edge of the titanium grooves itself to accomodate
the file’s cut and dislodges the “pinned” material between the
teeth. But I’d love to know if there is a better way. Hope this
helps, regards, Rex from Oz.