FILING PRACTICE

 Filing practice

Hand files are normally held in both hands. The file is held flat against the surface it is to cut / smooth. The file is then pushed forward and it cuts on the forward stroke. It is then lifted away from the metal and returned to the starting point for the next push forward.
This is called ‘through filing’

If the surface produced by through filing is not good enough - the next stage is ‘draw filing’. The diagram above shows how the file is held during this process. The file is held in both hands by the blade and pushed forwards and backwards along  the material. This will further smooth the material.

If the surface produced by through filing is not good enough - the next stage is ‘draw filing’.
The diagram above shows how the file is held during this process.
The file is held in both hands by the blade and pushed forwards and backwards along
 the material. This will further smooth the material.

The safe edge of a file does not have teeth. This is extremely useful when filing in corners as shown in the diagram below. The safe edge is placed into the corner and because it is smooth it does not damage the surface of the metal.