(Part 2) Best hand files according to redditors
We found 34 Reddit comments discussing the best hand files. We ranked the 24 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
you're probably going to want a 4" square file in 1st cut, maybe 2nd cut too.
This sort of thing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-1-160-04-1-0-Square-Bastard-File/dp/B0001P0QTO/
(4" size will give you a slot about 4.5-5mm wide, which is right for that blade tang.)
Personally, given the already-wide nature of the slot, I would get a second set of square files, and put them on a bench grinder, and file off the faces on either side to make them "safe" so it doesnt cut into the material on the sides. that ensures you're only making the slot wider, not deeper too, if you're a beginner at file-working.)
you'll then want to use a bench vise and soft jaws (I use leather offcuts) to hold the cross, and widen the tang slot.
Personally, I'd also get a round file (perhaps a 6" chainsaw file, and radius the corners of that tang transition on the blade, and square up the blade shoulders, because that blade shoulder re-entrant angle is shockingly bad. Then again, it is Darksword, so I'm not too surprised...
in effect, make the tang slot wider, one stroke at a time.
I would also suggest you learn smoking. No, not that sort, that's a filthy habit.
Take a cheap paraffin candle (you know the sort, white waxy kind of cheapy candle) and while its lit, put the cross slot briefly into the flame. you should get black soot particles covering the metal after half a second or so. moving the cross around so it covers all the areas. Then wipe it clean on the outside, and let it cool if its warm. slide it carefully down the tang, trying not to touch the sides, and push the cross as far down as it goes, and then slide it off. look carefully, the black soot will be removed where the slot and the tang met. that's the area you need to file more. using that method, you can get the cross to fit snugly and accurately to the blade.
Take your time. Remember, material removed cant be returned, so do not use power tools.
I carry a file (like this).. it grinds off these spurs easily and is pretty small to keep in my bag. I like my rims smooth.. I twirl the discs in my hand pretty often when getting ready to shoot and it bothers me if a disc cuts me.
If I had your budget and no files, I would get THIS and [THIS]
(http://www.amazon.com/DMT-FFC-Diafold-Diamond-Folding/dp/B00004WFU2/ref=sr_1_8?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1371593748&sr=1-8&keywords=diamond+files) or I would shop around some more for the best diamond files for the best price. Of course your choice of Nicholson files is a good one too. I like Diamond for abrading metal and, well, any damn material I feel like.
Harbor freight also carries diamond lapping plates with a coarse 180 grit plate. Like everything from HF it needs to be fixed before you can use it though.
I've been doing my coarse work with a Lansky Extra-Coarse Diamond Hone that I mounted to a handle and I have no regrets about that. It chews through everything and even though it has been used for well over 300 hours since I bought it, the diamonds seem to still all be intact.