I don't advise soaking them in vinegar either. Can cause hydrogen embrittlement. Do what the makers advised,and also use the chalk.
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I don't advise soaking them in vinegar either. Can cause hydrogen embrittlement. Do what the makers advised,and also use the chalk.
Last edited by george wilson; 07-06-2015 at 4:03 PM.
Contributor
Feel free to Patrick. Last time I checked, wood catches fire pretty easily. I was not suggesting to heat the rasp until cherry red. Just enough to burn out the little bit of leftover dust. And if that little bit of heat were to damage the rasp....does not seem worth the money for the rasp then.
Richard
Member
The exceedingly thin cutting edges of the rasp would very quickly lose their temper before the wood had time to start burning. Even 400º would damage the temper of the rasp's teeth. PAPER burns at OVER 400º.More like 600º. What does ebony ignite at? That rasp is not made of high speed steel,which is tempered at about 1000º.
There is more than dust in the teeth. It is impacted ebony.
Careful thought and actual experience needs to be exercised when advising someone what to do with their $80.00 rasp.
All files and rasps are essentially made of the same stuff: high carbon steel. The $5.00 file and the $80.00 rasp are made of it. The difference in price is the amount of labor it took to create the tool. Hand stitched rasps take more work to make than files with machine made teeth. Hand stitched rasps are more desirable than machine cut ones since their teeth are more randomly cut,and leave a smoother surface.
Therefore,care must be exercised in never overheating these tools.
Last edited by george wilson; 07-06-2015 at 5:12 PM.
Contributor
To clear the air, I did not advise in doing so. I asked.
Richard
Member
Don't you think that asking questions like that might tend to give someone ideas?
Contributor
At this point, I doubt you want to hear what I think. For those still reading this thread, I retract my question. Enjoy "your" forum.
Richard
Member
Richard,
Don't take things too personally. Generally, posters have to "prove" themselves with good posts over years before people pay attention to them.
In George Wilson's case, he's possibly the most experienced woodworker/metalworker on the Creek! I'd be very inclined to listen to him as he's likely made similar rasps and possibly ruined more than a few using various methods.
Personally, I try not to post too much unless I can add to it. Looking back at some of my threads, I'd tend to cringe at my ignorance (look up the metalworking in a kitchen thread). Heck, there are very few things that I feel competent to post on--just dentistry and guitarbuilding (and limited at that!).
Julie, as for the other's suggestions, I haven't had the pleasure of owning an Auriou (yet, still considering it). However, I've had luck with using the following: rust eraser and Camelia oil; Sonicare and toothpaste (be sure to oil rasp afterwards. Pumice from toothpaste is very abrasive). I haven't tried using my ultrasonic cleaner, as it may make a huge mess, but I'd likely guess that it'd work well too.
I'd avoid the torch if George says so. For Kutzall Rasps, the torch works fine, as you won't cause any trouble with the carbide particles.
In the future, I'd recommend trying a Shinto saw rasp for any rough shaping. They are remarkably agressive, yet smooth. They're not as elegant as your Auriou, but you won't cry if you get it clogged (by some miracle).
Contributor
Matt, I think the significant thing re Julie's situation is she was using it on ebony. On my current project (walnut) I used ebony plugs. Although I love the contrast, I was surprised how "soft" the ebony seemed to the rasp and how "smeary" the shaving/dust/grindings are, especially when sanding. The ebony seems to pack into the teeth and hold on; the walnut easily falls out or can be brushed (sideways) away. I noted a lot more ebony build-up than expected.
I might try compressed air tonight . . . 95-100 psi ought to move it out . . . . .
Member
I mist my files and rasps with water, the impacted wood swells in under a minute and is easily removed with an old synthetic paint brush. Dried and then a light coat of oil. Soaking in oil seems messier than necessary. Cleaning a rasp with metal in any form doesn't make much sense to me.
Contributor
Originally Posted by george wilson
Richard, you may or may not know as much about tooling as George but on the up side you could always whip his raspy arse on a history or spelling lesson.
"If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"
[OP]
Member
I took the advice I got from Mike Hancock from Forge de Saint Juery (Auriou Toolworks). I didn't have a receptacle for soaking the rasps (something long but with a small diameter - less oil needed) but I did dip them in a bottle of Camelia oil and then wrap them and set them down to give the oil a chance to soak in. Only the curved sides of the rasps were a problem. Then I took a stiff brush and first brushed away from the direction the stitch was made, then 900 to that direction. That worked better than no oil at all but there were still bits of ebony AND maple embedded deep in the stitching. It's amazing what you see under magnification.
So I used an X-Acto knife and a safety pin to dig out the remainder, being careful to avoid the cutting edge of the stitches. It took about 3-4 hours. They are much cleaner now but I can still see tiny bits of ebony and maple in the deepest depths of the stitches. I doubt they will affect the cutting efficiency of the tools but they may attract some moisture so a final coating with oil after use, as Hancock recommended, is probably a good practice.
FWIW, I have a 9 grain cabinetmaker's rasp and a 10 and 15 grain modeler's rasp. There was no getting the X-Acto knife tip or the tip of the safety pin into the recessed of the 15 grain rasp so I had to rely on just oil and a brush.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain
Member
Hilton,I admitted I couldn't spell the country in question. What else is wrong with my spelling,or my history? Actually,I had 40 years of classes in history of America . We were always attending classes in the museum. They maintained an ongoing education program for all employees who met the public so that wrong information would not be imparted to the guests. Not all of the employees had college degrees.
Julie,I wouldn't worry about the tiny bits of wood you can see under magnification. And,unless your shop is very humid,I doubt the rasp would suffer from rusting due to a little wood.
If you would lightly oil the rasp before use,it would help keep the chips from getting so embedded. Machinists often oil their files before use,to prevent filings from getting built up in their teeth.
I was certain that you would not take a torch to your rasp!
Last edited by george wilson; 07-07-2015 at 9:37 AM.
Contributor
Just messing with you George. Czechoslovakia no longer exists as it split into two countries in 1993. I'd rather have your wisdom and knowledge with spelling errors rather than the other way around.
"If you have all your fingers, you can convert to Metric"
Member
Well,it's hard to keep up with the ever shifting countries in that area. Not my biggest interest,though the Czechs make great guns,I understand!
Contributor
A couple of years ago, I took a piece of 2" PVC with an end cap and filled with Camelia Oil, then made a little drain pan to set it in after the soak to catch the oil.
David
Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)
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