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Needle files


Dindrenzi

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Hey guys,

 

If you were to buy a new set of needle files what would you buy?

 

Are there any particular grades/shapes that are a must have?

 

I'm looking to buy some quality needle files, around 4 to 6, but just wondered what people would recommend?

 

I've got cheap and cheerful set from the local model store but looking for more specific shapes/grades

 

Cheers

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Subtle Discord posted a great thread here about tools.

 

Shapes-wise, I would suggest a half-round, a flat, and a round (also called a "Rat tail").

 

For abrasiveness, I generally go for a medium grade - enough that you can get stuff done quickly, but not so rough that you have to file off the previous file marks. Also, I find the coarser files can be too aggressive if you're trying to gently clean a delicate area.

 

My own top tips for looking after your files are:

 

1) Use a little soft white chalk on the files before filing metal models (especially any lead ones). This helps to stop the fine cutting faces becoming clogged with metal filings and spoiling the file. The chalk also helps to keep the file from stuttering across the model's surface.

 

2) Use a small brass brush to clean any metal filings out of your files. They should come out easily if you used chalk, and they will stay nice and sharp for next time.

 

3) If you are filing plastic models, you can swish the files in acetone when you're done to dissolve the plastic filings out of them. You don't need to chalk the files if you just file plastic, and the acetone makes cleaning them dead easy. Simply pat them dry on some kitchen paper when you're done (but don't wash them in water - they'll rust).

 

4) If you file plastic models a lot, consider getting some fine emery boards as well (the sort ladies use for their fingernails are good, cheap, and easily available from many places). Depending on the grades you buy, you can get some very smooth finishes on plastic models (and on any epoxy putties) with these, and they are easily replaceable.

 

Hope that helps, but feel free to ask more questions if you have any. :)

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To be fair, if you brush your files after use, and it's only plastic and resin that you ever use them on, you won't need to use acetone very often.

 

For maintenance, get a cheap stiff-bristled toothbrush - new rather than used is best because the bristles will work properly (and most supermarkets do super-cheap economy ones which are perfect). :)

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Major_Gilbear, could you show an image/picture of an emery board? Just to be it is the tool I think, being from different places means some times not the same things are available or as widely used biggrin.png

Sure, no problem:

61JzH7qJkyL._SX522_.jpg

Emery board = lima de uñas (for those who are Spanish speakers). ;)

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Oooo... Files! A subject seriously dear to me. I think I can find a moment for a word or several...

 

First, thanks for the referral Gilbear. While my write up is a bit dated, when it comes to files I haven't changed my opinion for many years. Put simply, take the small amount of effort to get Swiss-made Grobet brand files from a jewelers supply store such as Contenti, and rejoice in just how amazing they are; here's a link to their Grobet Files section. They cost a few dollars more but trust me they're worth it. If you're even a modestly serious about doing a good job building, bashing, and converting, I see these files as a must have investment that will pay dividends in just how well they will work every time, for basically a lifetime if they only ever cut plastic and resin. I'm the first to admit that I tend to 'gush' a bit about these files, but they really are one of those finds that I'm thankful for every time I need to remove a mould line or shape a bit for some kit-bashing work I'm doing.

 

As mentioned, the key ones are a Flat (Equaling), a Half Round, and a Round. With Grobet files a #0 is very coarse and a #6 is very fine. A #2 is a good 'hard work' file for miniature building for those times where you want the extra bite really remove material, and a #4 is an excellent 'general purpose' file; I find #0 too coarse and aggressive, and the #6 is too fine and prone to clogging. A #4 will remove material nicely with pressure, but with a light touch it will polish a surface smooth and primer ready. Not that it really matters, but the 5.5" or the 6.25" will be fine, but even the 4" should work if you'd like something a bit shorter. 

 

If I could only have one file it would be a #4 Half Round; flat on one side for flat jobs, curved on the other side for curved jobs, a nice 'knife edge' for grooves (like corrugated hose, for example), and it tapers down to a nice useful point. While I use a #4 Half Round about 90% of the time, a Flat (Equaling) is still quite useful, and sometimes a Round file can come in very handy in some places best suite for the shape, so it's really nice to have when the job benefits from it. A #2 Flat, #4 Half Round, and #4 Round, would be the best bang-for-buck if you want the perfect set for modest kit bashing and mould-line removal. If you do more scratch building and/or converting that is more in depth I would recommend a #2 and #4 for all three shapes, but only if you know you're going to be really filing and shaping lots of plastic.

 

On the subjects of filing greenstuff, clogging, cleaning, and emery boards, may I direct you to Alpha Abrasives, a small family run Canadian company not far from me. They have an amazing selection of quality abrasive products that are all excellent. They've got a great range of emery boards and sanding sticks that are cut in useful strips, tapers, and shapes, that I've been using for years and I swear by them. 240 and 320 grits are by far my most used. However there's one other product, the Abrasive Cleaning Disk, that is worth its weight in hobby gold. You see, the aforementioned files are so wonderful that they are excellent at filing and shaping even stubborn materials like greenstuff, but yes, it tends to clog the tool quite quickly. The sanding files too are excellent, but tend to clog too quickly. As the name suggests, the Abrasive Cleaning Disk does just what it says, and it does it really well. I've hand mine well over ten years and I use it constantly to clean files, sanding sticks, and sandpaper, saving me quite a bit of frustration and cost. When a sanding stick or piece of sandpaper is clogged to a point where it would be thrown out, this little wonder quickly cleans it back to usable condition over-and-over. For $6 CAD, it's worth every cent.

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Major_Gilbear, could you show an image/picture of an emery board? Just to be it is the tool I think, being from different places means some times not the same things are available or as widely used biggrin.png

Sure, no problem:

SNIPPETY-SNIP

Emery board = lima de uñas (for those who are Spanish speakers). msn-wink.gif

Thanks smile.png! I searched for "emery board" and found those, which was what I thought, but I've learnt to not assume the same things are used everywhere, and the ones I normally see around here look a bit too rough and abrasive, so I wanted to make sure. Guess I'll have to "borrow" one from my significant other to give it a try whistlingW.gif

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Would using a bronze brush (of the sort one might find in gun cleaning kits) be an acceptable substitute for a plastic bristle brush when cleaning files?

 

Also, FYI, pretty sure that those Alpha Abrasives products, or some of them at least, are available at Hobby Lobby in the US.  I've got some of their sandpaper in my kit, and I'm pretty sure that's where I picked it up.  Good stuff.

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Yes, a bronze brush is fine to use instead of brass.

 

But I will say that the brass ones are very cheap (they are sold on automotive accessories/tools stores, Amazon, Ebay, etc. They are supposed to be for cleaning spark plugs). For the money and the purpose, I feel it's £2 well spent to get them.

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FWIW: To keep your files sharp, remember they cut on the push stroke only. Pressure on the pull stroke will dull them quickly with metal, moderately soon with resin, and eventually with plastic.

 

I second Grobets. I have a fine set of their escapement files (tiny needlle files) that still serves me well.

 

And if you happen to know a dentist, those little tiny files they use to clean out the nerve in a root canal are awesome. They look like literal needles and are perfect for reaming out little tiny holes and for stabbing that heck out of yourselp,

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