I thought I'd try the vinegar treatment on a Nicholson shear-cut rasp only this time I thought I'd let it soak for six hours instead of four. Well, I forgot I'd put it to soak, and it stayed in for eighteen hours. I thought it may have been eaten to a nub, but it came out super sharp! There's nothing like a failed experiment to learn from.

Really??? You really thought that vinegar would eat a file into nothing but a nub in 18 hours???

For Heaven's sake, don't put any on your salad!

I have never tried that, but have a number of older files it would likely work well on...

After it soaks, do you just rinse them with clean water, then totally dry them, and do you then add a rust preservative or anything?

Thanks in advance for a reply on this!

Old No7

With only 11 posts under your belt Old No7, you haven't been around long enough to know that rocky mtn bill isn't going to like your pro-2nd Amendment tagline. He loves to bash Donald Trump and our NRA.

To answer your question, this process is simply a weak acid pickling. Most white vinegar is diluted to 4 to 5% acetic acid. Like any acid pickling process, heat will accelerate the process.

It will help to scrub your files in a detergent first to remove any oils and built-up chips so that the acid can eat at the steel more evenly. The time of the acid pickle depends upon strength of the acid, temperature, and how dull your files are to start with. When they are sharp, rinse, dry, and spray with a light oil or rust preventive.

I find that the "Works Toilet Bowl" cleaner is better than vinegar. It is cheaper to use because it is 9.5% Hydrochloric acid, which can be used full strength for a shorter interval, or diluted about 50-50 and used for a longer interval. Hardware store also carry Muriatic acid, which is also a dilute Hydrochloric acid. Use rubber gloves and avoid getting it on your skin. Don't get household bleach anywhere near it because Chlorine gas will be formed. I once saw a source that said the "Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner" contains bleach and hydrochloric acid. That is proof that you should not believe everything you read on the internet. That mixture could damage your lungs.

Acids like hydrochloric or acetic can be re-used until they are depleted. When they no longer have enough bite to sharpen files, they will still work as a mild rust remover. They start working slower and slower until they just don't work.

# 7, Keith is not authorized to speak for me. He is an AH. After soaking your rasp you need to scrub it with a baking soda solution, rinse it well, and dry it. I think you'll enjoy the results.

I don't speak for Billy and don't need his authorization for anything. Steel mills pickle thousands of tons of steel with very strong heated acids every day, with no baking soda or other alkaline neutralizing afterward. It is totally unnecessary to scrub your files with baking soda as long as you rinse well.

Billy's notions are more proof that you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. Ask Billy what he means when he refers to me as an AH. He is one of our Liberal Left hypocrites who strongly denies his own name calling.

I think you'll enjoy the results of seeing through his B.S.

Thanks for the replies.

(I though better about adding any other comments...)

Cheers.

Old No7

Welcome to the Big Tent

My new favorite post

You are a AH-- A for grade- also Number 6 in the Parker nomenclature parade-- H for Hammerless- Add E for AHE-- A grade, Hammerless gun with ejectors-- Quite a compliment-- makes me want to exclaim "WTF"-- Wave The Flag-- All-American all the way!!

RWTF, Keith can take that for a compliment. Actually he's an insult to all the AHs out there.

First step would require you to be a man Hershey....

how has the dancing been with Billie at the cloud 9?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNH7LqKMleE

You two make a lovely couple

I wish some insane person would send this perverted some gunsmurf work...