Metalworking files - Guidance required please

In the past I've bought cheaper tools for certain jobs and then found the quality wanting. In the case of metal working files I've got a few scrappy ones but I think I should really invest in some proper quality items before I go starting my next project. So here are the questions...

1. Which metal work file brands do people recommend please? Both budget and for the sort of tools I'll end up handing on to my kids.
2. When I did my apprenticeship we used a combination of chalk and file cards to keep them from clogging. Is that still accepted best practice for brass, aluminium and cast iron etc?

Any guidance or advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks,

Jon.

Vallorbe have always had a good name, I've also bought a few of the Tome ones that ARC started doing about a year or so ago and they work well for the money.

I also use chalk to stop pinning, sometimes clean with a carding file but a flattened bit of copper pipe works well too.

+1 for Tome Feteira files from ArcEuroTrade.

Mike

I’ve read quite a few complaints about files made in South America and Spain so maybe avoid those. The best files now seem to be Swiss Glardon Vallorbe but they aren’t cheap.

+1 for Vallorbe. I've got some Draper 'engineer's files', which were cheap (like 2 quid apiece) but they didn't work well, even from new, so money down the drain really. £5-10 for Vallorbes seems a bargain to me!

R.

If I had to replace, or add to my 40-70 year old Sheffield Steel brands file stock, it would be the Sandvik (Coromant) Brand. You'll get what you pay for in quality and durability. A good set of assorted Swiss Riflers are also handy.

Thanks for the tips all. I don't think I can quite afford the Vallorbe, I realise you have to pay for quality but I don't actually have enough spare cash for a set of those!

Thank you everyone, further advice still welcomed.

Most of my recent file purchases have been quality Sheffield made ones, mostly as NOS off eBay, at sensible prices.

Do you really need a 'set'? You don't say what your project is, but in my experience buying 'sets' of almost anything is a bad idea. You end up paying for stuff you never use. A lot can be done with a hacksaw and a decent No2 file.

R.

For best quality I use Vallorbe, expensive but I have found they last better than any others and are more precisely made. I also use Bacho which I find great for roughing out, also others of unknown make from exhibition suppliers -- sometimes a bargain to be had !
John

+1 for Vallorbe, I have a few small Vallorbe files and they are very good. I also use Swedish files - Öberg - and some unbranded ones that work well.

Thor

I bought a set of Sandvik Ergo a few years back, still going strong

+1 for Grobet-Vallorbe.
I got one here and there and now have 1,2 3 cut plus a big old dreadnought which eats ally and leaves a superb finish.
This year I intend to acquire some Tome Feteira, see how they compare.

John

May I ask a question of those recommending Vallorbe? Trying to find UK sellers, I found that Vallorbe sell two different ranges of file. Vallorbe SAVER files are competitively priced in the range £4 to £10, others - very similar in appearance - cost about £30 each.

Thing is the web sites I found don't make it clear which they are selling, apart from the price. One lists the expensive range as 'Precision' files. Judging from price many outlets only sell the cheaper SAVER version.

Are inexpensive Vallorbe files better than other brands, or is it essential to buy the expensive ones to get quality?

Dave

May I suggest for ripping into soft materials like thick aluminium sheet & chequerplate the Aven File or a clone, modern form of the dreadnought, if you use the adjuster to curve the blade, reducing the number of teeth in the cut results are spectacular, then return to flat for finishing straight lines, had good results making new larger rear step for campervan this way ( 12 inches to the foot scale )

Bob

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Dave,

This sort of publication used only to be available in a 'plain brown wrapper'

... but it's available on the web now

**LINK**

http://www.vallorbe.com/umv/ch/fr-ch/file.cfm?contentid=5102

MichaelG.

.

Source: http://www.vallorbe.com/en-ch/products/files/precision-files

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 10/11/2017 09:35:36

Many years ago I was told, "Any file will do for brass, but your brass files never touch steel"

Further points to remember, when not in use store them apart from each other (hung on cup hook?).

Do not buy at exhibitions where the files have all been jumping about in a box, if they are not separately packed, do not touch them. Bumping about kills the teeth!

If you think £5/10 is too dear for a quality file,you may be at the wrong game. Good tools do not come cheap,at the beginning,but end up being the cheapest in the long run. How do I know ? been there ,done that,have a box full of junk to prove it !

I,m still using tools I bought 50 years ago,they seemed dear at the time,but now ?.Along the way I was tempted by "bargain" offers [like many of us ],then I got sense and left them alone. A good file is a pleasure to use,while a bad one is a pain-in-the-arse,and sometimes in the hand as well.

You dont need a full set,just two or three to meet most of your needs and add to to them as required.Suppose you spend £50 on your files,how many pints will you buy for that,and how long will they last you ?

£50 over how many years ? No contest ! Go for it and enjoy using proper tools.