How To Put A Handle On A File
Workshop Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting.
Recently we put out our first video on YouTube. It’s a short video at just 80 seconds long (not a major commitment) In the video Paul demonstrates putting a wooden handle on a file. The use of handles on files is supper important both for safety and comfort. When filing a ring or some piece of jewellery you don’t want the tang stabbing the palm of your hand, thus we put on a handle.
The picture above shows the wooden handle has the hole drilled out and opened wider across with the grain, this is to allow the taper of the tang.
Then using a torch we heat up the tang to a red hot heat.
Carefully place the file upright on a strong sturdy surface and put the handle in the correct orientation
Tap the handle down using a mallet
allow the smoke to clear and you should have an excellent fitting file handle.
Obviously, at our Dublin city center workshop, we can’t do this on-site but all our files have been fitted this way we just do it offsite.
In our workshop at each of our student benches, you will find three different files.
A cut 0 flat file, super aat taking off metal fast sometimes used for filing wax (Coarse)
A cut 1 half-round file, excellent for filing the inside curve on a ring (Medium)
A cut 2 flat file, great for a smoother finish when filing (Fine)
