Making a saw file off grid, the whole process

Tools-to-make-tools-to-make-tools… We are back where the whole project once began. This time it is not stones hammering stones but steel on steel. Making a metal file off-grid is a whole lot more complicated than just finding a sand stone in the stream, and sometimes a whet stone is simply not to tool to use.
The file is not just made in a really hard 1% carbon steel that easily burns, it also requires a chisel (I used the failed axe tip forged in an earlier video) to make a V-block, a sharp extra hard chisel for cold cutting (I used the thick (wood) chisel made in a previous video, wood working tools for the handle, a tip to burn the wood, a wooden V-block for cutting the file burrs on top of and some birch bark… plus all the stone tools, wooden tongs, birch bark bucket and other devices commonly used in this video series. Due to my unwillingness to make any important craft procedures off-screen this whole process led to an unusually long video… and text. Enjoy.
Carbon steel
Early in this project I decided that I will not produce the metal itself, as well as the source of heat, this project is about hand tools from scratch not material or energy from scratch. So I decided to use the steel I normally use for really hard tools ( SS-1880) 1 % carbon. But even after normalizing that was really hard to grind and cold chisel. In Sweden most powders or liquids to simply make soft iron into hard steel are forbidden due to their toxicity. However, such a process can be done with charcoal powder or animal bones… but that takes time and as I said, not an issue in this project.
The V-blocks
The wooden V-block was cut into the end grain of the fir tree cut down in an earlier video. End grain is more resistant then other grains and the wet stump allowed the file to stuck in a rather good way. The metal V-block was a bit worse. Normally I would simply have taken an old saw file and simply cut it into a heated metal block. But this time I did not have such an old worn out file… and nothing else 60˚ angle either. My way of solving that was to bend the block first and hammer a 45 ˚ angle, which I had, and then unbend the bloch until it looked too be somewhere between 45 ˚ and 90 ˚. When it achieved its 60 ˚ angle I simply ground it flat on the underneath to make the angle stay even when beating hard.
Lessons learned
Unfortunately I did not consider the problem of my triangle cross section to gradually turn slightly clockwise. This probably happened because I am used to forging on an anvil of an other height… and straightness. And it was hard to see due to the three-sided cross-section. When it happens in a modern forge the metal bar is simply twisted in the opposite direction till it’s straight. But in this forge I do not have a vice, not even two metal tongs. Due to this problem grinding/whetting the bar became rather time consuming. Just sharpening the chisel after cutting the first two sides took almost a day, (5 hours) but whetting the 60 ˚ profile took several days. I have never made a file before, never seen a file being made and never talked to anyone about how to make a file. But I had seen this video: • Antikythera Fragment #... That guy is absolutely amazing when it comes to mechanisms and cutting tools/machines.
The handle
In between the grinding sessions I carved the handle in semidry juniper wood. A storm took down two big birch trees a bit upstream. And I came to the conclusion that the sides do not really need to be precicely 60˚… neither do they need to be straight ; )
This is where my level of patience in still standing occupations comes to an end.
Messy hardening
Eventually when attempting to harden the file it stuck in its tongs and the whole quenching went sideways. It got hard, but not as Hard as I planned it to be. And I have no idea how to see the tempering colors in a hardened saw file… I simply had to follow my gut-feeling on that.
Dis you read this far?
Did you read this far, If so I am flattered. I don’t know how important these descriptions are. If anyone reads them. I write them because I prefer it to speaking in the videos. But if you watch carefully I assume you would get the same knowledge as described above just from watching. Did you? Or did it diversify your gaze on the craft? please leave a comment here, and tell me if you appreciate the text or if I should skip it or shorten it in the future. Hard for me to know if not asking.

[@onegrail9398]

Great example of wooden tongs. Solid video!

[@richardcook555]

I'm impressed!

[@viccw2366]

This is amazing! I just discovered your channel. I am really surprised that you don't have 100 times more subscribers. Congratulations on your amazing work!

[@gustavthane2233]

@@viccw2366 thank you. Yes, lets hope the channel keep growing, I appreciate you are here now.

[@viccw2366]

@@gustavthane2233 You're welcome!

[@viccw2366]

@@gustavthane2233 You probably received more feedback in your more recent video, but just in case I wanted to tell you that I find your images really beautiful, the points of view you choose, the landscape, the quality of your camera, the closeups, etc. I also find the general approach of building tools from scratch awesome. It's really interesting. Again, congratulations, from Eastern France where the landscape looks a lot like in this video!

[@gustavthane2233]

@@viccw2366 it is good to hear you liked it. It takes around doubble time to get the work done when also recording it all on film, but it is really nice to bring the camera. It feels a bit like working together with people to know that someone will experience the process on video.

[@hobowithashotgun48]

very interesting, and thank you for the more in-depth text describing your learning process!

[@DarrenMalin]

wonderful thank you Sir :)

[@Well-groomed_Hobo]

This is beautiful! I've read how to do this in an old blacksmithing book, but I've never seen it done before!

[@gustavthane2233]

Yeah, I too thought of it for quite some time, saw special tools and machines doing the job but never having a reason to do it myself. Not until I decided to make a tool chest from scratch. To cut a board you need a saw to make a saw you need a file to make a file you need a chisel to make a chisel you need a hammer and tongs to make a hammer you need a hammer... it has been a fun journey, still is. 🙂

[@Well-groomed_Hobo]

@@gustavthane2233 that's awesome! It's making me want to give it a try now!

[@gustavthane2233]

@@Well-groomed_Hobo of course you should, and bring a camera so the the rest of us can join.

[@user-nt1sk9pd2i]

You made a tool to make a tool to use to sharpen another made tool ..you are a primitive tool artist ur skill are awesome. For teal i would bye copies if make the for sale.

[@gustavthane2233]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@viccw2366]

By the way, I was curious as to why you filed the edges and then cut them again. Why not leave them as they were, with the cuts from the sides? Anyway when filing a saw, what matters is what the sides do, isn't it?

[@motoller]

nice

[@gustavthane2233]

Thank you

[@omstallningsresan4878]

Hugga filar är kul! Gjorde det som arbete när jag gick på Bäckedal. Vi högg i blötjärn och sätthärdade enligt Theophilus beskrivning. Funkade helt ok! Men som du skrev, verktygen är det som är ditt projekt :)

[@gustavthane2233]

Aha, den med benmjöl då eller? som luktar bränt hår... coolt

[@omstallningsresan4878]

@@gustavthane2233 Vi smörjde in filen i talg, sedan lindade vi råhud från älg runt den. sedan bakades det in in lera enligt bronsgjutningsreceptet och sedan värmde vi hela paketet.

[@gustavthane2233]

@@omstallningsresan4878 aha, måste ha luktat en hel del det också... Men ändå rätt naturnära, sånt är spännande. Varifrån kom taljen?

[@omstallningsresan4878]

@@gustavthane2233 Fårtalg var det vi fick tag på och det funkade bra. Om jag inte minns fel skulle det enligt Theofilus vara fett från en gammal stor gris.