Ivan your an inspiration, yesterday I went to a 60 th Birthday party and my old mate is a dead man walking does nothing but feels sorry for him self . You were a cancer victim and you pushed your self forward to enjoy life which has brought you gifts like Susie to drive and inspire you God bless my friend and more power to you 🇦🇺👍
I think you are the best example of getting on with it rather than just talking about it. Really find all your videos fantastic and interesting. I will come and see you one day because I live very near Precott. Nick
Lovely job! When I was an apprentice I was given a 4 1/4" length of round stock and told to turn it into a 4" long and 1" square bar with all corners at 90 degrees and the tolerances only allowed 5 thou on the flat faces. I used a cold chisel and two pound hammer to rough it out then filed it square and true. It took me three weeks to finish it. Four other lads gave up and lost their apprenticships. I have never lost those lessons and can appriciate Ivan's knowledge and his demonstration of filing skills. I wonder how many of todays workers would have the patience and hand co-ordination to make my square bar....
When I was a young and stupid apprentice engineer we had to 'Draw File' 1" x 2" block of metal perfectly square within 2 thousands of an inch, what a pain, since then I don't mind filing but it's not my favorite pastime😁😁😁
I was an engineering apprentice in the 1960's. One of the tasks we undertook was to take old worn out flat files, heat the end to cherry red and beat them out flat, sharpen and hone them to make a scraper. We used that scraper to take of the high spots on the beds of horizontal boring machines. I still have it along with engineering test pieces and my work book, with instructors comments, as a first year apprentice . Skills learnt, some forgotten, but not all. Keep up the good work Ivan.
I wus going to leave a comment, but found all yem buggers have beaten me to it! Anyhow, Ivan I love watching your antics. Long may you reign. My dad would tell us about his stuff. The magneto wired up to the urinal! His alarm clock, piece of string hanging out the bedroom window tied to his big toe! And the time he went courting after bedtime, and sneaked a flashy motor from the garage, only to get stuck off road. At 5.00a.m. a farmer rescued them with his tractor. He made it back just as his Dad came down for breakfast a 6.a.m. Surprised, he asked what he was doing up so early. My dad gulped, and told him he was going to check over the flashy car that was in for repair! My Mom would usually add to the tale:”And I had the go down into the coal cellar to get back into the house before everyone was awake. Those were the days. Gpx❤
As a teenage schoolboy back in the early '60's I acquired a set of 6x 15" ex WD solid disc Ford E93A wheels , in each of which I drilled 10 holes and filed out with half round and full round files in order to replicate the after -market Leslie Ballamy wheels' 1 1/4" holes : I filed those 60 holes for hours and days on end ,but the finished result was quite remarkable and indistinguishable from the pukka article when fitted to my Dellow : Since then my love for filing and shaping for elegant bracketry for vintage vehicles , cars and bikes , has never waned , and I'm still doing it , just 2 years younger than Ivan, but in much warmer climes ,..the rice padis of SE Asia ...where I recently crafted 2x 1/4" thick stainless steel cradles ,as engine/ frame strengtheners for my 1970's Suzuki GP 125 cc: Now that was bloody hard work....filing stainless steel is savage amusement ...
Susie, watching and listening to Ivan doing almost anything is a treat! Not only is he charming, but watching all this is fascinating to us old car fiends.
Ivan, I had my fill of filing as an apprentice Fitter at a Steelworks mid 1960's, in second year me and my fellow apprentices got to file "pallet loads" of cast iron Rod Mill guides that had to be filed to a gauge. The very reason that now in my mid 70's I have "crunchy" shoulders and "flogged out" rotator cuffs. But I agree there's a lot of satisfaction to be had using hand tools, if that's your "bent".
Back in secondary school metalwork class, mid 60s we were taught how to file a piece of metal square. Always remember it. Nowadays I guess they dont have a metal workshop in school. Fettling is an art.
Ivan and Suzy i for one love all your content so just keep doing what your doing , we need to preserve everything possible for the next generations even if it is just Ivan filling in the shed , thank you
This is a GOOD one! My face is sore from smiling. Love the philosophizing, humming, filming, filing. Handwork is satisfying - like carving, sanding and oiling a nice wooden spoon. 🤟✌️
First thing we had to do in training was to chisel a 4" x 1" round mild steel bar square, then rough file one side, draw file another, and emery finish the last one. It had to pass inspection for squareness, I enjoyed the challenge and valuable skills learned in that simple exercise have lasted a lifetime. I'm only a few years behind you Ivan and I still do a lot of filing. Keep up the good work Ivan, you're a national treasure!
Susan is awesome, love her to bits, and you Ivan? what a Gent. Hope i'm as lively as you if i get to 84. Always a pleasure. P.S. The only file name i can remember from Secondary School Metal work class is the Bastard file 🤣😂🤣
No one should ever underestimate the importance of learning to file metal properly! It's all about you, the file and the workpiece in symphonic harmony. Lovely to watch and listen to you Ivan. Thank you. Cheers, Paul. 🤓
When I was training as an aircraft technician in the REME, we did lots of filing and it was, as you say, therapeutic. Most of my course mates were musical so we tended to sing whilst working. The one that springs to mind is “When you’re filing, when you’re filing, the whole world files with you, skooby do, skooby do, skooby do” Our masterpiece was “The Aluminium Chorus” - you should never use a file without a Handel! (groan) I was pretty good at riveting and wire locking too so I might have been good with Bugattis, but then you mentioned Tidy. Nope, I fail miserably. Oh well, just have to enjoy your reminiscing instead. Thanks Ivan, Susie and John, brilliant stuff.
Susie, I totally understand your reservations about this material but there are many of us who totally enjoy hearing about these old metal working techniques. I know precisely what Ivan is talking about when he was discussing the emery cloth finish of metal worked by hand. It is not just seeing the work being done, it is also listening to the explanations. Long ago, there were many automotive companies here in the state of Indiana. The old mechanics knew these techniques but much of this has become a lost art. I have said it before and I will say it again, these are the best videos Ivan has ever made. You guys make an excellent team!
@@GeraldMcCunn I don't think that would have worked with me, just like being stuck in a classroom learning stuff I had no interest in. Learning stuff you are interested in is a pleasure, for me at least anyway. Each to his own though.
Hello ivan . From one elder gentleman to another it is great to watch all your videos. You make and repair cars and i do motor bikes when i can get a worth while project. Im look ing for a 74 to 77 gitane champion velloce 50cc sports moped . I had one in 75 and it went like a bullet standard at 58 mph what i know now about 2 stroke tuning i bet i could get close to around 70 to 73 mph. Keep up yours and john s projects . Nice one ivan thank you .
Thank you Ivan, Suzie and John! You are making this old guy think differently about filing now. As a youngster in the machine shop, I had to do filing for my father and I didn't really appreciate it much then. My father had the patience of Job with the stuff, my uncle and my grandfather, not so much. The race shop still has four generations of files, I don't know the names of them all. I see modern diamond files as indispensible for use in antique engine internals. I do have an appreciation when handling old race parts that have not been marked up with modern power tools. My appreciation for metal hand work continues to grow, thanks again! --Hochkraeusen Racing Team
Ivan, you bring back memorys off filing school when I was an apprentice 50 years ago, although I did not find theraphutic back then, it does now, Thanks to you both, for the effort!!!
Over 60 years ago when I started a traineeship in telecommunications one of the first practical tasks we were given was to file the cast iron block perfectly square . When the instructor was satisfied with our workmanship we then had to cut the block into pieces and then file to be identical. This was a test of skill and a test of your perseverance to complete the task. Bruce
Thanks Ivan so much for promoting the use of files. Definitely an art and following the light lines ensures a great finish. Too easy these days to reach for a battery or power tool and as you say take off more than you need to and making more work to do. Outstanding viewing and thanks to Susie for hanging in there.
I spent countless hours filing custom bike parts when I was younger, then polishing them up for chroming, later making stuff from stainless to save the cost of chroming.
One of the most brilliant discussions on aesthetics and the human predilection of creating beauty that I have ever witnessed....... Just superb, Mr. Dutton!
My shed has a good selection of hand tools, but i have never seen one of those hacksaw abrafiles before. Just the job for cutting out curves. Looks like a thing i need to buy.
As an apprentice toolmaker in the 1960s, we had to file complex-shaped punches and dies to size. We never had spark eroders. I was taught to always put my thumb on top of the file, not my finger. The advantage is that you lock your wrist out, allowing you to put more weight on the file, so it cuts not rubbing and its much easier to keep the filed face flat. As a test put your finger on top of the file and try stop someone lifting the other end up. Now try it with your thumb on top.
50 years ago I worked doing up old Bugatti’s for a chap called Richard I’anson , one of the jobs was engine turning a firewall , and I was on strict instructions not to too precise, as the originals were a bit wavy.
I usually tap the files periodically to clean the filings out. Sometimes a fine cat brush can help clean/restore the file. A grinder would butcher the job for sure. You’re spot on Ivan. Let’s have a clip of Ivan filing Susie’s nails. 😉
Good Evening Ivan, Suzie & John. Thank You, another great release of knowledge. I've heard that washing the dull files in old "battery acid" livens up the cutting edge. But one must clean the said we'll and then preserve in a mix of oil / kerosene. Regards from WLG-NZL.
Wonderful again Ian! Keep filing as it is good exercise! It brought back Metalwork Classes at school in 1960-65 and our ferocious teacher who had been a Spitfire pilot so took no prisoners if you got something wrong…I saw many a pupil reduced to tears in case of failure and your work being thrown across the room or into the forge! I still have the adjustable spanner we had to make and polish it until it looked like chrome…60 years on, it is still shiny! 😃😃😃
The secret to long life is not to die! Now the secret to not dying.... Is secret. But it aint sitting on your bottom, that's for sure, I hope I am lucky enough to be your age and energy. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed it
Great video. 51 years ago when I started as an apprentice we spent the first 4 to 6 weeks filing before being let loose on machines. Files can be taken anywhere while machines cannot.
hi Ivan, great video. I do vehicle restoration work, have been mechanicing now for 57 years. Filing is something I am always doing especially when making parts, etc. A while ago I bought a mini belt sander, about 1/2" wide, great for getting in corners and finishing off after filing. Abrafile, that reminds me I have one somewhere. Love your videos, of the old prewar cars.
The control you have when Filing is the key. Like you said if you took a grinder to it, you lose control of the finish. This video was a great reminder to take the time to finish it off right!
I'm a manual Toolmaker. When deburring and chamfering parts I machine I only ever use small swiss files to get nice parallel, even chamfers. Nice filing is a bit of an art. I usually use a bit of chalk on my files too, stops them galing up and choking.
I've still got a couple of Abra files probably bought them 50 or more years ago, did't realise they were out of production. China need one to copy and start selling them again. Ceramic tile saws are very similar.
Remember making a inch square block that fitted in inch square hole as a CEGB apprentice thought it was good but instructor thought not and chucked in the bin! I had to do it again got right this time. Hated filing ever since but appreciate the skill required
When I have to shape alloy I use a Eclipse coping saw,joiners use them for scribing skirting boards ect, much faster than the Abrofile, Best videos on You Tube thank you.
In his book "Gentlemen Start Your Engines" Wilbur Shaw called the hacksaw "A German milling machine". They had a kid on their team who wore them out by the hundreds.
One of the best things about hand filing is it takes a lot longer to mess up 😂. Or you have more time to get it right. Machines are not patient or forgiving…..😊
I was taught to file with the 1/2 round on external curves. (Like you said Darren used to use a round file for everything). Vinegar will clean the rust off stuff but it rusts like billy-o after.
I am building a Vincent engine up from boxes if bits. I didn't get any of the outer covers with it, so I had to get them from here and there. The timing cover is an original, but still took quite a lot of filing work so that the edges of the cover matched the crankcases. The primary drive civer is a new replica, and was machined but still sand-cast surfaces. The cover took a HUGE amount of work to blend its edges to the crankcases and create nice sculptural shape - but the result is very satisfying. When I work on it, I like to run my hand over the shapes and edges....
Lovely stuff, I'm sure the file I have used successfully and with some pleasure is called a Dreadnought file, specifically designed for working soft metals such as aluminium and copper. Keep going Ivan!
Looks like you've got yourself a couple of weeks work there! Keep it up! Was always taught not to rub the file in both directions, or it would blunt faster: only apply pressure in the "cutting" direction, and the file would last longer.
Ivan you are so right in what you say,there is medical evidence to suggest a healthy active mind will have a healthy body to follow suit! Keep up the good work and don’t be rolling out of bed at 7.10am because there’s frost on the ground !you have a lovely forged axle to file 😂
Been filing a bit myself this week. The home made fuel rail for my car needed shortening, by just 4mm. It’s made from a universal hollow ally extrusion. You have to tap threads in the ends to take banjo bolts to fit the fuel pipes. The ends need to be perfectly flat and true so sealing washers do their job. I wanted to do it in the lathe but because it’s got brackets it wouldn’t go in a chuck so I had to put it in the bench vice and shorten it with a hacksaw then use a flat file and set square to smooth and true it. It’s back on the car and it doesn’t leak - very satisfying!
Yeah, I hate to admit I kind of find filing cathartic too.. I really enjoy all the stories in between the filing and cutting .. like the little tip about making your own curved file.. hadn’t really thought about it, but I’m gonna make one now…
A college 55years ago we had to chisel 1inch round bar 4inch long to just above 3/4inch Heron bone finnish, then two opposite sides had to to be file exactly to 3/4 by Draw filing soon learned to take just enough off or start again. You can Work out your problem, bit like meditating.
Ivan your an inspiration, yesterday I went to a 60 th Birthday party and my old mate is a dead man walking does nothing but feels sorry for him self . You were a cancer victim and you pushed your self forward to enjoy life which has brought you gifts like Susie to drive and inspire you God bless my friend and more power to you 🇦🇺👍
I think you are the best example of getting on with it rather than just talking about it. Really find all your videos fantastic and interesting. I will come and see you one day because I live very near Precott. Nick
Lovely job! When I was an apprentice I was given a 4 1/4" length of round stock and told to turn it into a 4" long and 1" square bar with all corners at 90 degrees and the tolerances only allowed 5 thou on the flat faces. I used a cold chisel and two pound hammer to rough it out then filed it square and true. It took me three weeks to finish it. Four other lads gave up and lost their apprenticships. I have never lost those lessons and can appriciate Ivan's knowledge and his demonstration of filing skills. I wonder how many of todays workers would have the patience and hand co-ordination to make my square bar....
We should start a petition to have Ivan declared a National Treasure.
Captain Sir Tom Moore got a knighthood, so where is Ivan's?
Let's face it, John is everybody's hero.
Right? 99% of us would've started the tree removal with a saw. Our hero doesn't need no stinking saw!
When I was a young and stupid apprentice engineer we had to 'Draw File' 1" x 2" block of metal perfectly square within 2 thousands of an inch, what a pain, since then I don't mind filing but it's not my favorite pastime😁😁😁
I was an engineering apprentice in the 1960's. One of the tasks we undertook was to take old worn out flat files, heat the end to cherry red and beat them out flat, sharpen and hone them to make a scraper. We used that scraper to take of the high spots on the beds of horizontal boring machines. I still have it along with engineering test pieces and my work book, with instructors comments, as a first year apprentice . Skills learnt, some forgotten, but not all.
Keep up the good work Ivan.
Same here at BOAC, "draw filing"as well.
I wus going to leave a comment, but found all yem buggers have beaten me to it! Anyhow, Ivan I love watching your antics. Long may you reign. My dad would tell us about his stuff. The magneto wired up to the urinal! His alarm clock, piece of string hanging out the bedroom window tied to his big toe! And the time he went courting after bedtime, and sneaked a flashy motor from the garage, only to get stuck off road. At 5.00a.m. a farmer rescued them with his tractor. He made it back just as his Dad came down for breakfast a 6.a.m. Surprised, he asked what he was doing up so early. My dad gulped, and told him he was going to check over the flashy car that was in for repair! My Mom would usually add to the tale:”And I had the go down into the coal cellar to get back into the house before everyone was awake. Those were the days. Gpx❤
As a teenage schoolboy back in the early '60's I acquired a set of 6x 15" ex WD solid disc Ford E93A wheels , in each of which I drilled 10 holes and filed out with half round and full round files in order to replicate the after -market Leslie Ballamy wheels' 1 1/4" holes : I filed those 60 holes for hours and days on end ,but the finished result was quite remarkable and indistinguishable from the pukka article when fitted to my Dellow : Since then my love for filing and shaping for elegant bracketry for vintage vehicles , cars and bikes , has never waned , and I'm still doing it , just 2 years younger than Ivan, but in much warmer climes ,..the rice padis of SE Asia ...where I recently crafted 2x 1/4" thick stainless steel cradles ,as engine/ frame strengtheners for my 1970's Suzuki GP 125 cc: Now that was bloody hard work....filing stainless steel is savage amusement ...
Susie, watching and listening to Ivan doing almost anything is a treat! Not only is he charming, but watching all this is fascinating to us old car fiends.
Ivan, I had my fill of filing as an apprentice Fitter at a Steelworks mid 1960's, in second year me and my fellow apprentices got to file "pallet loads" of cast iron Rod Mill guides that had to be filed to a gauge. The very reason that now in my mid 70's I have "crunchy" shoulders and "flogged out" rotator cuffs.
But I agree there's a lot of satisfaction to be had using hand tools, if that's your "bent".
Back in secondary school metalwork class, mid 60s we were taught how to file a piece of metal square. Always remember it. Nowadays I guess they dont have a metal workshop in school. Fettling is an art.
Ivan and Suzy i for one love all your content so just keep doing what your doing , we need to preserve everything possible for the next generations even if it is just Ivan filling in the shed , thank you
Nick Mason's got nothing on you, Ivan. You make some great music. Thanks for the great camera work, editing, and captions, Susie!
Good engineering practice filing and John can turn his hand to anything Thank you Suzy for another winner a big hug.
This is a GOOD one! My face is sore from smiling. Love the philosophizing, humming, filming, filing. Handwork is satisfying - like carving, sanding and oiling a nice wooden spoon. 🤟✌️
First thing we had to do in training was to chisel a 4" x 1" round mild steel bar square, then rough file one side, draw file another, and emery finish the last one. It had to pass inspection for squareness, I enjoyed the challenge and valuable skills learned in that simple exercise have lasted a lifetime. I'm only a few years behind you Ivan and I still do a lot of filing. Keep up the good work Ivan, you're a national treasure!
Ivan Dutton you could make watching paint fade an interesting video
And yes the File is most underrated tool in the box
😊
Susan is awesome, love her to bits, and you Ivan? what a Gent. Hope i'm as lively as you if i get to 84. Always a pleasure. P.S. The only file name i can remember from Secondary School Metal work class is the Bastard file 🤣😂🤣
Me too, the files in our metalwork shop were colour coded. The bastard file handles were repainted pink, no idea what they’d been before.
The mug is makin' mugs hahaha....you rock.
“Filing and filming” was my favourite bit, Ivan you are a tonic 😂👍
No one should ever underestimate the importance of learning to file metal properly! It's all about you, the file and the workpiece in symphonic harmony. Lovely to watch and listen to you Ivan. Thank you. Cheers, Paul. 🤓
When I was training as an aircraft technician in the REME, we did lots of filing and it was, as you say, therapeutic. Most of my course mates were musical so we tended to sing whilst working. The one that springs to mind is “When you’re filing, when you’re filing, the whole world files with you, skooby do, skooby do, skooby do” Our masterpiece was “The Aluminium Chorus” - you should never use a file without a Handel! (groan) I was pretty good at riveting and wire locking too so I might have been good with Bugattis, but then you mentioned Tidy. Nope, I fail miserably. Oh well, just have to enjoy your reminiscing instead. Thanks Ivan, Susie and John, brilliant stuff.
Not boring, real old style engineering, thanks team
Susie, I totally understand your reservations about this material but there are many of us who totally enjoy hearing about these old metal working techniques. I know precisely what Ivan is talking about when he was discussing the emery cloth finish of metal worked by hand. It is not just seeing the work being done, it is also listening to the explanations. Long ago, there were many automotive companies here in the state of Indiana. The old mechanics knew these techniques but much of this has become a lost art. I have said it before and I will say it again, these are the best videos Ivan has ever made. You guys make an excellent team!
Thanks team, great shed therapy. I've spent my time in the aviation industry, lots of filing and smiling!
I thought it was just me, I've spent many a long hour filing away, very therapeutic. Keep up the good work team
That takes me back 60 years, metalwork classes, I can’t say I had the same enthusiasm Ivan does. Much appreciated these videos though
The only man I know who can make filing an education video. Great to see proper engineering
I always find you're good at the things you like doing.
I've had a couple of apprentices and have taught them the reciprocal of your view. i.e. practice to become skilled and you'll enjoy the work.
@@GeraldMcCunn I don't think that would have worked with me, just like being stuck in a classroom learning stuff I had no interest in. Learning stuff you are interested in is a pleasure, for me at least anyway. Each to his own though.
Ivan, I really enjoyed watching. I even managed not to bloody my knuckles or even get my hands dirty.
Hello ivan . From one elder gentleman to another it is great to watch all your videos. You make and repair cars and i do motor bikes when i can get a worth while project. Im look
ing for a 74 to 77 gitane champion velloce 50cc sports moped . I had one in 75 and it went like a bullet standard at 58 mph what i know now about 2 stroke tuning i bet i could get close to around 70 to 73 mph. Keep up yours and john s projects . Nice one ivan thank you .
What a guy living life to the full , I second the suggestion definitely a national treasure 🎉❤
Thank you Ivan, Suzie and John! You are making this old guy think differently about filing now. As a youngster in the machine shop, I had to do filing for my father and I didn't really appreciate it much then. My father had the patience of Job with the stuff, my uncle and my grandfather, not so much. The race shop still has four generations of files, I don't know the names of them all. I see modern diamond files as indispensible for use in antique engine internals. I do have an appreciation when handling old race parts that have not been marked up with modern power tools. My appreciation for metal hand work continues to grow, thanks again! --Hochkraeusen Racing Team
Spring is here and an old mans thoughts turn to tidy up. Love every bit of your antics. Thanks to all the team.
How could this possibly be boring a filing master class Go Ivan 👍
Ivan, you bring back memorys off filing school when I was an apprentice 50 years ago, although I did not find theraphutic back then, it does now, Thanks to you both, for the effort!!!
Over 60 years ago when I started a traineeship in telecommunications one of the first practical tasks we were given was to file the cast iron block perfectly square . When the instructor was satisfied with our workmanship we then had to cut the block into pieces and then file to be identical. This was a test of skill and a test of your perseverance to complete the task. Bruce
Very pleased to see this Ivan, certainly not boring 👍
Well done Ivan,filing is almost a lost art.Younger people do not know how to use them.
I love filing metal to the point that file marks are removed with a very fine cut file. Very therapeutic.
I'll file this under the most entertaining and informative youtube videos😁😁
Thanks Ivan so much for promoting the use of files. Definitely an art and following the light lines ensures a great finish. Too easy these days to reach for a battery or power tool and as you say take off more than you need to and making more work to do. Outstanding viewing and thanks to Susie for hanging in there.
A big thumbs up for workshop videos with Ivan and John.
Keep yourself active, keep your mind active , you re doing all the right stuff.
Filing beats grinding every time in my book too.
I spent countless hours filing custom bike parts when I was younger, then polishing them up for chroming, later making stuff from stainless to save the cost of chroming.
One of the most brilliant discussions on aesthetics and the human predilection of creating beauty that I have ever witnessed....... Just superb, Mr. Dutton!
Reminds me of being back at school in the mid 60s.
Susie, As your nails are always immaculate perhaps you could do a video on nail filing, painting and polishing.
Ivan I agree with your filing! It also keeps you out of trouble. Cheers from Alberta Canada
I just learned a new way to make my metal parts look great and all I need is a selection of files and a bit of elbow grease! Thank you Ivan!
Ivan, you are an inspiration!! Fifty years ago I was tidying up my brother's welding with a file!!
Keep is old guy guys inspired!
My shed has a good selection of hand tools, but i have never seen one of those hacksaw abrafiles before. Just the job for cutting out curves. Looks like a thing i need to buy.
Having the correct tool for the job is imperative! Files are very important!
As an apprentice toolmaker in the 1960s, we had to file complex-shaped punches and dies to size. We never had spark eroders.
I was taught to always put my thumb on top of the file, not my finger. The advantage is that you lock your wrist out, allowing you to put more weight on the file, so it cuts not rubbing and its much easier to keep the filed face flat. As a test put your finger on top of the file and try stop someone lifting the other end up. Now try it with your thumb on top.
Fantastic! Don't ever change!
50 years ago I worked doing up old Bugatti’s for a chap called Richard I’anson , one of the jobs was engine turning a firewall , and I was on strict instructions not to too precise, as the originals were a bit wavy.
I usually tap the files periodically to clean the filings out. Sometimes a fine cat brush can help clean/restore the file. A grinder would butcher the job for sure. You’re spot on Ivan. Let’s have a clip of Ivan filing Susie’s nails. 😉
Good Evening Ivan, Suzie & John. Thank You, another great release of knowledge. I've heard that washing the dull files in old "battery acid" livens up the cutting edge. But one must clean the said we'll and then preserve in a mix of oil / kerosene. Regards from WLG-NZL.
Wonderful again Ian! Keep filing as it is good exercise! It brought back Metalwork Classes at school in 1960-65 and our ferocious teacher who had been a Spitfire pilot so took no prisoners if you got something wrong…I saw many a pupil reduced to tears in case of failure and your work being thrown across the room or into the forge! I still have the adjustable spanner we had to make and polish it until it looked like chrome…60 years on, it is still shiny! 😃😃😃
Filing soft metal is one of about 3 activities that puts me in a flow state.
Was not boring at all. Very interesting.
The secret to long life is not to die! Now the secret to not dying.... Is secret. But it aint sitting on your bottom, that's for sure, I hope I am lucky enough to be your age and energy. Thanks for posting, I enjoyed it
Love the work videos and engine rebuilds, trips are nice but you working is why I’m here
Great video. 51 years ago when I started as an apprentice we spent the first 4 to 6 weeks filing before being let loose on machines. Files can be taken anywhere while machines cannot.
Filing a waste of time? loved every minute. Ivan to Suzie:
"See i told you Suzie. They luv it.. lets add filing to every episode"
Hand filing used to be skill #2 for an apprentice, skill #1 being showing up early and staying late every day! Cheers!
hi Ivan, great video. I do vehicle restoration work, have been mechanicing now for 57 years. Filing is something I am always doing especially when making parts, etc. A while ago I bought a mini belt sander, about 1/2" wide, great for getting in corners and finishing off after filing. Abrafile, that reminds me I have one somewhere. Love your videos, of the old prewar cars.
Healing hands! Duttons theraputic massage.
Loved every minute. Thank you both.
The control you have when Filing is the key. Like you said if you took a grinder to it, you lose control of the finish. This video was a great reminder to take the time to finish it off right!
Admit it, Suzie … you lost this one😁! Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
Never boring, keep up the great work and education of all your viewers
Never boring, keep on keeping on, respect from an Essex boy that now lives down under
Thanks Ivan. I really enjoyed your filing video!
I'm a manual Toolmaker. When deburring and chamfering parts I machine I only ever use small swiss files to get nice parallel, even chamfers.
Nice filing is a bit of an art.
I usually use a bit of chalk on my files too, stops them galing up and choking.
Filing and smiling
Thank you for the great information. I'll need to recall that later, so I'll just file it away...
That was so funny. Boring? Impossible. How can the greatest TH-cam sensation of the Twenty First century be boring?
I've still got a couple of Abra files probably bought them 50 or more years ago, did't realise they were out of production. China need one to copy and start selling them again. Ceramic tile saws are very similar.
Remember making a inch square block that fitted in inch square hole as a CEGB apprentice thought it was good but instructor thought not and chucked in the bin! I had to do it again got right this time. Hated filing ever since but appreciate the skill required
Would love to see more videos like this Ivan! It was very entertaining. Love the new mug!!!!!
When I have to shape alloy I use a Eclipse coping saw,joiners use them for scribing skirting boards ect, much faster than the Abrofile, Best videos on You Tube thank you.
Well done Ivan, I am a great believer in filing, elbow grease, elbow grease I was always told! Keep up the good work and the videos Suzie
In his book "Gentlemen Start Your Engines" Wilbur Shaw called the hacksaw "A German milling machine". They had a kid on their team who wore them out by the hundreds.
One of the best things about hand filing is it takes a lot longer to mess up 😂. Or you have more time to get it right. Machines are not patient or forgiving…..😊
I was taught to file with the 1/2 round on external curves. (Like you said Darren used to use a round file for everything). Vinegar will clean the rust off stuff but it rusts like billy-o after.
I am building a Vincent engine up from boxes if bits. I didn't get any of the outer covers with it, so I had to get them from here and there. The timing cover is an original, but still took quite a lot of filing work so that the edges of the cover matched the crankcases. The primary drive civer is a new replica, and was machined but still sand-cast surfaces. The cover took a HUGE amount of work to blend its edges to the crankcases and create nice sculptural shape - but the result is very satisfying. When I work on it, I like to run my hand over the shapes and edges....
Lovely stuff, I'm sure the file I have used successfully and with some pleasure is called a Dreadnought file, specifically designed for working soft metals such as aluminium and copper. Keep going Ivan!
Looks like you've got yourself a couple of weeks work there! Keep it up! Was always taught not to rub the file in both directions, or it would blunt faster: only apply pressure in the "cutting" direction, and the file would last longer.
9.34 filmed in slow motion i bet🤣 don't ever stop doing these videos, just superb👍
We need more filing!:)
Ivan you are so right in what you say,there is medical evidence to suggest a healthy active mind will have a healthy body to follow suit! Keep up the good work and don’t be rolling out of bed at 7.10am because there’s frost on the ground !you have a lovely forged axle to file 😂
Been filing a bit myself this week. The home made fuel rail for my car needed shortening, by just 4mm. It’s made from a universal hollow ally extrusion. You have to tap threads in the ends to take banjo bolts to fit the fuel pipes. The ends need to be perfectly flat and true so sealing washers do their job. I wanted to do it in the lathe but because it’s got brackets it wouldn’t go in a chuck so I had to put it in the bench vice and shorten it with a hacksaw then use a flat file and set square to smooth and true it. It’s back on the car and it doesn’t leak - very satisfying!
Lovely.
Great,👍👍👍👍👍
Yeah, I hate to admit I kind of find filing cathartic too.. I really enjoy all the stories in between the filing and cutting .. like the little tip about making your own curved file.. hadn’t really thought about it, but I’m gonna make one now…
Totally get the filing thing, I was restoring axe heads. With no vice, a file and emery paper, polishing forged steel to 1000grit is a bit special
A college 55years ago we had to chisel 1inch round bar 4inch long to just above 3/4inch Heron bone finnish, then two opposite sides had to to be file exactly to 3/4 by Draw filing soon learned to take just enough off or start again. You can Work out your problem, bit like meditating.
Lovely video
Brilliant! I solve the worlds problems whilst filing.