Safe filing of brass keys and blanks

[Engineer]

If you are concerned about ruining your files when filing brass keys and blanks, because of the soft brass getting stuck in the teeth of the file and stopping it working, there are two things you can do.

You can always remove the brass from your file with a wire brush. It can be a bit tough, but it should come out with a bit of work. This is useful if you have already used a file and it has filled up as the brass was too soft.

Secondly, before you use a file on brass, just rub a stick of chalk up and down the file a couple of times. Nothing special, the standard blackboard chalks used by children or teachers will work fine. You may need to re-apply it occasionally as you file, as it acts a bit like talcum powder - As a dry lubricant to stop the soft brass filings getting good enough friction against the metal teeth to wedge into them.

Incidentally, you should NEVER hit a file under any circumstances. The metal has been hardened to a very high level. Files are surprisingly brittle and will snap or even shatter if hit, especially if in the middle of them. Even dropping a file onto concrete can do it. I tried it with one of my old 6" bastard cut files the was worn down and it broke in half surprisingly easily with just a tap from another file.

Diamond-coated files rely on the diamonds to do the cutting, not super-hard teeth, so they might be a lot more resistant to snapping or breaking, as their substrate doesn't need to be hardened.

[mhole]

Filing with all your strokes in one direction prolongs the life of your file -a back and forward action bluntd the file and reduces the quality of the finish.

In addition to cleaning with a file card, a piece of hardwood is very effective at cleaning the toothing on the file. Push it along parallel to the cuts on the file, and it will quickly develop little 'teeth' which clean down to the bottom of the grooves on the file.

[cppdungeon]

I was thinking this thread was about breathing in all those brass filings, or being in constant contact with them. are these Bad Things to do? not that i inhale them, but there were a few little mounds on my desk next to my bed for a while...

[ridinplugspinnaz]

I was thinking this thread was about breathing in all those brass filings, or being in constant contact with them. are these Bad Things to do? not that i inhale them, but there were a few little mounds on my desk next to my bed for a while...

Personally, I've found that filing over something like a large cookie sheet is immensely helpful for situations where you don't have a proper workbench to do your impressioning / keycutting work. Finding one with upturned edges is even better, since they'll corral your filings, as opposed to a flat sheet. Cleanup is dirt simple, use a small brush or cloth to collect the filings into a corner, and dump them into the trash receptacle of your choice. Works great in my apartment where I don't have much space for anything, let alone a proper workbench

[What]

I was thinking this thread was about breathing in all those brass filings, or being in constant contact with them. are these Bad Things to do? not that i inhale them, but there were a few little mounds on my desk next to my bed for a while...

While I highly doubt that inhaling metal dust of any kind is a good thing, I have not had any problems(spent many a night sneezing out black dust though).

[crazynllovewitu]

thankx for the info

[Engineer]

Actually, you might want to read this old post of mine about brass keys containing lead:

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=40369

Breathing in their dust probably isn't a good idea and it is probably illegal to breathe it in for commercial premises in some places in the world.

Having said all that, I don't actually know of a single key cutter or hobbiest ever being treated for lead poisioning. Perhaps that is because we've not been looking for them?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poiso ... nd_effects

Perhaps we should all keep a look out for the symptoms, incase we've experienced sub-clinical effects? There's quite a range of them...

[prag]

These are all very good tips. I was at an old locksmiths shop the other day and he was showing me quicker filing methods. We were using me files and every time he used a file, he'd throw the file on the bench.

Each time I witnessed this I cringed and thought "poor file, I'll take better care of you"

Laugh but I was always taught that if you look after your tool, they look after you will last longer.

Must try the chalk technique.

[yoyoboy]

All of Lab's (and I presume other pin companys, since they buy the same wire stock) brass pins contain lead.
Funny storyabout how I found out.
Just don;t eat them and you'll be fine. WATCH OUT FOR KIDS NEAR YOUR WORKBENCH/floor