How to use a File Card

Funny topic I know, however, a collegue of mine and I have a debate going on and I am looking for a consensus. We are both Industrial Arts (Tech) teachers so neither of us want to fold on this one. I figured RV builders would know all about loading up files and cleaning them out...so... here are the two possibilities:

A:One of us was taught to clean a loaded file by taking the file card and brushing the file in the direction that the cleaning wires are already bent over...hence...not to bend the wire over backwards.

B:The other option is to pull the wire ends through in an effort to "catch" the loaded material with the ends of the wire. ruffeling the wire feathers if you will.

File experts of the world...we are awaiting your votes

Thanks,
Dan B, Mesa, AZ

I went to A&P school and while we had file cards, we were never taught how to use them. I've always done (A) but it hasn't been very effective, especially when a mill file gets loaded up with aluminum.

I've tried both ... but neither seems to work well.
I still haven't found a good way to clean a loaded file... ?

T.

The vixen files are a pain because they're curved. I use the brush at an angle style A cleaning those.

The other files are typically a pain because they're cross cut. You have to do those twice. Once at the first angle. Once at the 2nd angle...style A, of course. My files usually come pretty clean. It just takes a little fiddling around and patience to find the right angles that work on a particular file.

Wires are to Catch adhering material

I think one has to ask why are the wires bent in the first place.
If you brush in a direction such that the little wire wants to slide up and over the particles stuck to the file, the effectiveness is diminished. You may as well use a straight wire brush for the task.
The file card's wires are bent so as to pick underneath the stuck chips and break them loose. Then you use the short bristle brush on the back side of the card to finish cleaning.

There is no other reason to waste manufacturing effort to pre-bend the little wires.

-mike

A tip

For cleaning aluminium out of your files....Dunk them in Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic soda) for a couple of hours.

Caustic won't hurt the steel and the aluminium will will make a soft salt and clean right up...No smoking...the process makes hydrogen gas!

Frank

I scrub back and forth so I guess I do it both ways.

I was also an Industrial Tech teacher, and was taught that it didn't really matter. I was also taught how to avoid getting the file loaded in the first place, rub a stick of chalk on the file before you use it. You can just tap the file on the bench and the filings fall right out. it works great with vixen files and soft aluminum. In my shop at home I rub the file with the Boelube stick and it works just as well or better. I haven't had to use a file card yet during the construction of my 9A.

mdoyle said:

I haven't had to use a file card yet during the construction of my 9A.

Click to expand...

Ok, call me what you will but I haven't had clogged files on any of my files yet. So I haven't used a file card either. For that matter, probably because I am not an Industrial Education teacher , I don't even know what a file card is. If this is another necessity of life I would be interested in learning about it. If not, well then, I guess I will go on in my blissful ignorance.

My first degree! Too bad the school system has phased it out in my part of the country. Now we have a world full of kids that dont know the pleasure of shop class...or how to turn a wrench.

Against the grain works better for me. Use the chalk - our shop teacher never had any in class because we were stealing it for use in the shop. I have a carton of the "sidewalk chalk" in my box - the sticks are one inch in diameter and cover a big file quickly. For the really stubborn stuff, like soft gummy aluminum, a wire wheel on the grinder works wonders. Never considered doing an acid bath...

As a machinist for most of my life, we learned to keep our files clean. A ?loaded? file would not give you a smooth finish on a flat surface or a shaft chucked in a lathe. Giving a metal part a light stroke with the file is no problem but clamp a piece of aluminum or steel in vise or lathe and work aggressively to bring the part to size, the file will load up.


As mentioned, we used chalk with success. In the old days you were issued a ?file card?.
See this link for file cards:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/N2DRVSH

The best style we used had all metal backing with formed wire handle. The wire bristles were bent and pointing in the direction of the handle. Pulling the file card across the grooves work best for me. Your mileage may vary. Stored on the back of the file card was a wire pin. It had a round formed hand end and pointed at the working end. We used this pin to slide back and forth in the grooves to pop out the stuck metal. We went so far as to dedicate one series of files for aluminum, one set for steel and one for stainless. As you can imagine, we had a tool box drawer full.

Ed
RV7 in the works.