6 Assorted File Set, Cut 2

Excel set of six files, Cut 2

A smaller group of files with a cut marked Cut 2. A six-piece set is the classic answer for a modeler who does not need a file every day but wants more than one universal piece at hand. The Cut 2 marking describes the coarseness of the teeth, with a lower number meaning a coarser cut and a higher one a finer cut.

Maintenance decides how long it lasts

With a file the steel almost never wears out; what happens is that the teeth clog. Plastic packs into them and the tool stops removing material, yet a modeler usually reads that as bluntness and starts to press. That is what really ruins the teeth, and the surface of the part heats up and smears. Go over a file with a wire brush or with a piece of softer metal after every longer session, as the metal takes a counter-impression in the teeth and pushes the dirt out.

The stroke in one direction

A file is a tool with one-way teeth. It works on the stroke away from you, and it is led back clear of the work and lifted. Anyone who rubs a file back and forth blunts it considerably faster while removing no more material at all.

Use

• Lead the stroke away from you, with the return movement clear of the work and the tool lifted.
• Clamp the part, as a part merely held will jump when the tool bites.
• Watch how much you have already removed, as a file works considerably faster than abrasive paper.
• Always move on to abrasive paper after the file, as the mark of the teeth shows under the paint.
• Clean the teeth as you go, not only once the tool has stopped biting.

Who the set is for

For modelers putting together their first workshop outfit, and for those who find a twelve-piece set needlessly large. Six profiles will manage the usual reworking of plastic parts, leveling putty and enlarging openings.

The files have sharp teeth, so protect your fingers and do not inhale the dust. Work in a ventilated room.