I have seen several old files used for knife making and I would like to use one of my grandpas old files to produce a blade- simple shape, maybe 3" blade like a "skinning" style- I have fresh seasoned oak on my property to use for the handle.

I have access to a simple belt sander to put the basic ground on the blade, then follow with sharpening on a stone. Do I need to use heat (I am guessing so) how hot, how much, when, etc.....

Where do I start?    

L.R.

you will need heat.  you can use a simple camp fire to soften your file or a charcoal grill.  what you do is get a good hot fire going and put the file in it and cover it with the glowing coals.  leave the file there tell the fire has completly died out. then it should be soft.  the outside will have a hard scale on it that will ruin a good file.  so what you need to do is use a angle grinder or a bench grinder to remove that scale then you can start the filing process to shape your blade.  any more questions just ask, there are alot of really talented guys on here.

thanks so much- am going to my granddads place this week- will try to grab an oldie out of the drawer and toss it in one of the bonfires behind the house!
does it need to be heat treated or hardened after I have the basic shape down? and I should drill the holes for the handle rivets too right?

speaking of which, where do I get 2 or 3 of those punch together rivets?

L.R.

Start by doing some reading on heat treat. I know you are not forging this knife, but you have to know how to get the most out of the file, which is too hard for a durable knife. I outlined some points on heat treat a few threads down. Believe it or not, the information you will need is in that thread, but we're right here if it's not clear.

Instead of grinding the file marks of with the scale drop the annealed file in white vinegar for two days.  This will loosen the scale and you can scrub it off with a toothbrush.

Listen to Lin he is the local guru on knife making. Definately research hardening and quenching methods.  You will want to use an american file, Nicholson, Hammond, or Simmons.  These files will be either 1095 or 1120 steel.  The steels used in files have varied over the years. I checked this with the file companies.

Make sure to drill the pin holes before you harden the blade.

L.R.  try to situate the file or files on edge so as to receive even heat and hopfuly not warp.
Your Granddad will probably have files made in the good Old USA, avoid the chinese files.

Fun stuff!

Steve
--------
Potomac Forge

I will try to do this on thursday night- good tip on setting the file up on edge. will make sure the fire is good and hot and has loads of coals before I stick it in there. I have read I can also dip the file into muratic acid as well? I have lots of that stuff around. then I can get to grinding and shaping the blade as well as drilling the pin holes to hold the handle on correct? then it is going to be heat treating the blade to get the hardness back into it right?

L.R.

That's right LR. Keep us posted.

thats awesome about the vinegar, i learn something every day  on here.  great advice clay. ill put that to good use.

So I'm not real sure but once you have your knife where you want it what's the best way to harden the knife can you put it back in the hot coals as you did to soften it?  Can you use a plasma cutter to cut your blanks out before you soften it?  I have a file but I am not sure what brand any ideas as to tell if it would be good for a knife?  Thanks for all the info you guys do some amazing work.

you can use a plasma cutter to cut them but it will affect the hardness of the steel.  lin rhea has a thread on here about heat treating it explains better than i ever could.

If you are not sure about the steel hit the end of the file with a grinder.  Your looking for long sparks with lots of sparkles or flares coming off each spark. Thsi indicates a good carbon content.  Another option is to heat the end of the file to above nonmagnetic and then quench it in water.  Clamp the hardened part in a vise with the hardened end hanging out.  Hit the end with a hammer.  If if breaks easily it should make a good knife.  

I cannot reccomend highly enough that you do the web research heat treating 1095 steel. Read Lin's post on here about steel and heat treating.  Read everything you can before you try to follow the heat treatement process on your own.  You can do this work in a charcoal forge and you can make a great knife.  We all started some where.

I have a great PDF I can send you on how to make a knife from a file with minimal tools and a campfire.  PM me with your email if you are interested.

I sent the PDF to those who PMd me... let me know if you don't get it

Thank you appreciate all the info

again... PDFs sent...

Thank you for the PDF it has some good info I appreciate it.

I have made several knifes out of American made files and they work great. They get sharp and stay that way. Does anyone know if old Swedish made files would be as good as American made files?