Fast Tracks

The Care & Feeding Of Files

By Tim Warris (This newsletter was originally published on April 6, 2003)

Wait! Don't stop reading yet! You may be thinking, "Man, this guy must be desperate for something to write about. After all a file is just a file right?" Well this may seem like a pretty dull subject, but trust me; it will be well worth your time to read on.


The File - The Rodney Dangerfield of Tools

Buried deep in the bowels of your toolbox or tool bin, or hanging on your tool wall behind the latest calendar with the pictures of the model railroad that you will build someday are your ("I don't get no respect") files.

It is a rather mundane looking tool, long flat piece of hardened steel with angled teeth cut into both sides and a handle on one end. Still it is a tool that you need to become skillful with if you are doing much track work or model building in general.

While learning how to use a file is pretty straight forward, mastering the art of filing does take a bit of practice. I know of master craftsmen who are able to create a perfectly flat and square surface with nothing more than a simple file, no jigs, no guides. Certainly a skill that only comes with many years of practice.

I have also seen experienced tool makers pick up a file and drag it back and forth on a tough piece of metal like it was a piece of sandpaper. It makes me cringe!


Rule 1. Only File On The Push Stroke

A file is not a hacksaw. So don't use it like one! The teeth on a file are angled forward to cut on the push stroke only. If you drag the file backward on the backstroke you will quickly dull the file. Develop the habit of lifting the file off of the work piece on the backstroke and your files will last a lot longer.


Toss The Dull Ones

Learn to recognize a dull file. If you try to file a piece of rail and you don't feel the file "bite" into it offering some resistance, it is dull. And there is only one place for a dull file, the scrap bin. Keep a dull file around and you will invariably pick it up every time instead of the sharp one.

My grandfather always had dozens of old dull files in his tool box, I have no idea what he was keeping them for, but if we ever tried to throw one out, he would get right upset. I think that most people who endured the depression and two world wars had developed a pack rat mentality that lasted all of their lives. Still it drove me crazy as every time I grabbed a file from his toolbox it was dull!


Clogging (Not The Dancing Kind)

The material that rail is made with is nickel-silver (that's what its called, but I doubt it has much nickel or silver in it). It is a very soft and malleable metal. To make matters worse, the solder that we use to weld rails is also composed of very soft materials. This makes filing trackwork particularly troublesome, as these soft metals tend to clog files very quickly.

The most effective way to prevent file cogging is to rub simple chalkboard chalk on the file before filing with it. This will not stop the file from clogging, but it makes file cleaning much easier.

After a few strokes with the file it will become loaded up with filings, simply tap the file on the edge of a vice or something hard and the chalk and filings will drop out.


Keep It Clean

Sometimes just using chalk is not enough. Instead you actually need to clean your file. One option is to use a "file card", a special brush designed to clean the teeth of a file. However I have found that the hard bristles on file cards tend to dull files. Instead I prefer to use a brush with short brass bristles, which does just as good a job without damaging the file.


Bastards, Double Cuts & Needles

Over the years I have collected and used a variety of files, but here are the ones that I keep close at hand when working on the Port Kelsey railway:

1. double-cut file
2. small 4" bastard (I didn't name it!)
3. thin 4" bastard that is slightly flexible
4. a good set of needle files

File Storage

Keep your files stored separately; just tossing them into a drawer will cause them to rub against each other, dulling them quickly. I have developed some pretty fussy storage habits for my files, and woe to the person who touches my files!


To Sum Up

• File on the push stroke only
• Throw away dull files
• Store your files separately
• Use chalk to keep the file from clogging
• Use a brass bristle brush to clean your files

Developing good filing techniques and skills will prove very valuable not just for track laying but also with all aspects of model building. Plus you'll be able to sharpen your own lawnmower blades.

- Tim

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Have a question or comment about this issue of the Fast Tracks newsletter? Then post a reply! I will be happy to respond to any posts. - Tim

Hello Gents,

I have a question, I'm having a devil of a time trying to remove solder from my needle files. any ideas? I thought of heating them, but that would take the temper out of em and render them useless.

Rob :

Rob,

Chalk before using helps a lot. Using the File Card or the soft brass brush is important. DON'T heat and try to remove the solder clogs! You can also use a thin brass shim or bit of a strip and have the edge point drag the file teeth along their inside land or grove, this will help pick out solder.

One important thing is to not file big globs of solder away. Use less solder at the joints - it's amazing how little is actually required, and also develop the technique of using a braided wick to pull out the excess solder you may have deposited on the joints. Files that actually don't drag through blobs of solder don't get clogged.

-ed-

Hi Ed,

Yep know what you mean on the excess solder, but in my quest for max strength and to insure I have a good solder joint I wait until the solder "kind of Jumps" from the pc tie to the rail. So occassionally I have too much solder on the pc tie, which requires a bit of filing to remove and dress up the tie. I don't do it often, but when it happens well you know how that goes. As far as the solder wick, I've used it, but to tell you the truth I don't like reapplying heat to what I believe is a good solder joint. Then theres always the possibility of the joint moving and getting out of gauge.

Thats why I like to file it. simpler, less chance of errors.

Rob

The posts about pre-tinning ties have been moved to the Questions & Answers About Using Fast Tracks Tools forum.

Rob
Some thing that might solve a lot of your big globs of solder on you ties. First eliminate "all" space between your rail and tie, second heat BOTH the rail and the tie at the same time.

Curt