There’s just got to be a better way! Does anyone have a better way of getting rid of swarf after filing wire? Geez, it’s just so time-consuming! I use a graver for this task. (I was using my father’s old pocket knife, which is still extremely sharp) I keep looking around my shop in the hopes that something will magically appear to make this job a “JOY,” but so far, no luck. Any remarkable ideas out there? You’ll be my new hero! I’ll even whittle or maybe knit?.. you a red cape! (In the interest of transparency, I neither knit nor do I whittle… but hey, who knows what the future holds, right? I mean, you’ll still be my Hero! and that counts for something…)
Thank you for reading through all of this! You get 5 *'s just for that amazing feat! Brilliant!
I use a graver as well. I try to look at it as a task that needs to be done. Like other boring tasks. I try to see it as a meditation type thing.
Maybe I misunderstand, but in my world swarf is the loose fragments from a drill bit or similar, you are refering to the sharp edges lifted from said drill bit or graver?
Burrs I think is the word I would describe it as.
I think of swarf as that which is left over after wet grinding or sanding. What you are describing sounds like the small burs left after filing. I use a sanding stick to remove them or, if there is a larger area, an abrasive wheel or even a lapidary belt on an expansion wheel. You can also buy a hard, sharpened steel bur removal tool, but I find them a bit overkill…Rob
If you’re referring to the bur that’s left along the cut you might consider changing to a finer saw blade size as that can make a difference. The suggestions you’ve received above for clean-up are great. If there’s a lot of piercing I sometimes use a sanding strip that I can thread inside of smaller areas which works really well. There’s a previous thread that touches upon how others approach clean-up.
Gerald is correct in that this is one of those boring tasks that needs to be done. Unfortunately it’s also one of those tasks that can make or break the presentation of your finish piece.
Pam
I just bought some Mitchell’s cord and will try it out on the removal of small amounts of metal in hard to reach places like smaller piercings and around prongs…rob
Re: Filing wire. I’m a little confused. Are you cutting wire and leaving sharp edges? If so I use a cup burr on the sharp ends of wire like on earring posts.
I’m confused as well. Can we see a picture?
After I cut a piece of wire to be an ear wire or post, I round the end with my pulse arc welder. It leaves a nice round smooth surface. You can adjust the size by how much power you set the welder to deliver or how many times you weld it. Larger pieces of wire are first filed square and then any burs are sanded off with a sanding stick or file depending on the size of the wire. If you leave them, they interfer with a solder joint and are just unsightly. This is basic bench work and something that you should learn early in your career as a metal artist…Rob
My take on the post was for wanting a good way to remove metal clogging the file. Which might be mistaken of course.
I have a nice, very fine hand file (#6) that is clogged with metal, is too fine to de-clog that I know of. I wonder if a brass rotary brush in a flexshaft would work to clear file cuts, but have not tried it myself.
The original post was more venting frustration - which I can well relate to for so many things - than information. More detail would be good, but sometimes it helps to just go !#$&#! to a sympathetic ear, and I do relate.
Neil…I went back and re-read the OP’s post and I think that you are right. We all got off on the use of the term swarf. I don’t think that we should ever regret these discussions as there are a lot of people reading them and a lot of good general information is passed on even if you don’t have a swarf problem…Rob
Neil
For those difficult file cleanings, just flatten the end of a nail fairly thin with a hammer.
Bend it. Square it off and then run it along the file groves. That will make little teeth on the cleaner that dig out the filings. Little nails for little files, big nails for big files.
Dave
To help keep files from clogging in the first place, clean the file well first, than rub it with soapstone “chalk”. Soapstone sticks are usually available in welding supply shops, or Google for online suppliers. To clean files out, I use a piece of flattened brass wire.