Lister Engine Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Hugh Conway on December 26, 2018, 11:58:47 PM
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Somebody must know!
It is time to replace/re-purpose some of my much used metal files. I've found lots of cheap imitations of real tools, but can't seem to find a source for good ones.
I have seen some brand recommendations on the web but the next problem is......
Finding a dealer! Seems there are a few good brands ones out there, but nobody appears to sell them in Canada or USA.
Any recommendations of brand or dealer would be appreciated.
Cheers
Hugh
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Last time I bought a few files it was at an autojumble I think you call them swap meets? They were used but very useable and very cheap. Modern Chinese files are useless I couldn't find any made in the UK anywhere
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Current Nicholson production is not USA made but if you go to Ebay and search Nicholson file USA there is always lots of new old stock for sale.
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A carding brush and muriatic acid helps a lot on old files.
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Hi Hugh
Adding some help.
There is a old brand, that was known worldwide, and was recognized by British engineering as of excellent quality. Tale a look at: http://www.tome-feteira.pt/produtos.html.
BR
VP
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Thanks for all the suggestions.......
Looks like I will have to obtain files from Europe of the US. If any of these good brands are sold in Canada, it''s a secret to the manufacturers.
Unfortunately postage from US (not as much from Europe) to Canada is insane these days.........For instance ship to Seattle or thereabouts......free. If it goes to my location (maybe 250 miles further and across the border) It takes another mortgage for postage plus brokerage fees, duties and taxes. My wife was dinged $17.00 in brokerage fees for $0.03 in tax on a yard of fabric.......It was duty free though!
Nothing like free trade!
Cheers
Hugh
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+1 Glort regarding postage fees from the USA. I regularly buy spare parts from China or Singapore, for 1/4 of the prices elsewhere in the world The postage is usually free. I also buy stuff from Europe and pay what I believe are reasonable postage fees. I never ever buy anything from the USA because of the postal charges. I guess they must have the best paid postal workers on earth.
I too don`t like the new GST charges on all online purchases from overseas. If I were running any sort of business I would be able to claim the GST back as a legitimate expense. Sadly as a private citizen I have to pay ten percent to the government so they can squander it on BS and their own gold plated pension scheme.
Bob
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Wow, that is really scary, Within half an hour of my last post complaining about the price of postage from the USA, I got an email advertisement from a business offering to deliver stuff from America for less. Big brother is watching us!
Bob
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If you believe 25% of the stuff on who's watching who then we've all been under the microscope for years.....
Cheers
Stef
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https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.abundiente/videos/2385592254808952/
Check out this one then, Stef. One for the conspiracy nuts . . . . the Heathen Chinese are watching!
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I'm a believer, I'm sure there's shed loads we don't know and it's getting bigger every day. 'They' can watch me all 'they' like, it's not that I'm a paragon of virtue, far from it, but when one considers the entertainment value of some of the whack jobs out there, I'm just below zero on the scale!
The only people who care about me are the ones who sent Bob details of cheap postal rates from the US. I don't even get Viagra ads anymore.
Cheers
Tefs
(see how I threw 'them' off the trail there?)
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It's a lonely world Tefs
Natasha & Nadia have stopped sending me nude photos of their six-foot, blonde, curvaceous selves and asking me about help with their immigration processes. Ngamutu from Nigeria no longer asks for my assistance with his currency-moving issues. Even the little-blue-pill peddlers seem to have given me up as a bad job
THey warned me old age was going to be cold & lonely . . .
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Same goes with hacksaws!
https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/how-to/a18522/how-to-use-a-file-the-correct-way/
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I started using Greenlee hack saw blades- I cut them into 3 pieces and used them in my air body saw since the body saw blades are pricey and poor quality.
They cut like crazy when fresh, and are cheap enough I don't mind replacing them often.
I've tried other brands and none were as good for cutting and blade life.
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When I was 11 I went to a really good Grammar School. the intake was from the 84 / 92% portion of those passing the 11 plus exam and the aim was to turn out apprentices and middle management (it all went wrong with me!)
Anyway, the first project in metal work was to make a boot scraper, cutting and filing a 1½" square of ¼" steel plate for the blade and then riveting it to a handle, Mr Eaton was not best pleased with those dragged the file on the reverse cut, unless you were draw filing. The thing I did best was getting my apron covered in 'blue' whilst marking out.
These days I do as much as possible with the 4½" grinder and a 1mm slitting disc......
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I`m a big fan of angle grinders of all sizes but I tend to steer clear of the four inch 1 mm cutting disks, had a couple of near misses with them shattering and throwing shrapnel everywhere.
A Dremel is also a handy tool for fine work or confined spaces.
Bob
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The 125mm battery angle grinder with 80-grit flap disc is a very versatile carpentry tool. I use it all the time. I am sure Jesus would approve
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I LOVE the 4½" grinder, with flap wheel, grinding disc and slitting disc, the guys I worked with a few years back when I was messing about with Hovercraft used to refer to it as my 4½" lathe.
Bob, you're right about the 1mm discs, you have to treat them with respect or they shrapnel in a big way, don't side load them and don't try to polish welds with them either. If you drop the grinder they shatter pretty easily too. Using a 1mm disc to chop through wood, when nothing else will fit in the available space, the smoke is amazing, ask me how I know.....
It would be nice to have a plasma cutter, but I can't, yet!, justify the expense of a big one and when I used a small one, some while back it's true, I wasn't very impressed.
Cheers
Stef