How to make an old file not brittle?

atlarge54

Member
I have an old wooden lawn ornament and the metal stake that goes into the ground is missing and an old chainsaw file is a perfect fit. If I heat it cherry red and let it air cool will that soften it so it won't snap in half when bent? I do have oxy-acetylene torches.
 
More than likely it will not--the key with annealing steel is slowly cooling it after heating so the grain structure has a chance to realign properly. I keep a pail of old wood ashes handy for such projects--heat up your file, then either plunge it into the ashes or take out some ahead of time, put your file in, and cover it up. Let it set overnight and test it with another file--if it bites into your annealed file, you've done it right. Vermiculite (available in most garden stores) is another popular choice for an annealing medium, and there are others--these are just two common ones.
 
heat it cherry red and stick it in a bucket of lime and allow it to cool completely.......it"ll anneal nicely.
 
Why buy with a small pile of old files on the bench? I started to heat it with the torch and decided to open the boiler door (summer hot water) put the file in the coals and small blower until red. I left it in the coals for a slow cool----time will tell.
 
Some people use a magnet to determine when the steel has
reached the proper temperature.

When the magnet will no longer stick to the steel you're there.
 

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