Nut slotting files? Some better than others?

[Jeremy Borkat]

For work, I use a set of Gotoh's nut slotting files. It's the 10-piece set (original recipe) with sharp handles meant for a file holder which I've never obtained. My problem is wear issues. My .013 and .016 are dead smooth, so I might as well be slotting with dental floss. A few questions regarding nut slotting files:

Are all created equal? Are they all just tool steel with an abrasive edge? From my searching, most people jump to Allparts and say avoid Stewmac? Any validity? Is there a consensus on good ones?

Does anyone notice their files wearing down faster from Graphtech nuts? It's almost all we use for nuts, with a rare bit of corian thrown in. Do the lucky people who use bone have wear problems?

I read that some people put a tooth on feeler gauges, but after trying to re-tooth my .013 file today with a dremel, I found the results dismal.

Am I just crazy(nuts...?) here? Do they, like every other abrasion-loving tool wear out, or do some just have the same ones they've had since they got their training wheels/files? If so, what is the usual life on a set?

Any knowledge would be great.

[Michael P. Lemieux]

Hello
I buy my files from Stewmac and have never had a problem with them. I have been using these for years with no disappointment at all. That's just my opinion. Opinions very.
Mike

[Frank Ford]

We have three different kinds in our shop, and each has its own devotees. I like the Grobet ones myself. They all seem to wear out too fast. . .

[Ron Frazier]

I don't think they are wearing out.

I think that the teeth are filling up with material.

I lube mine wit a wipe across the hair on the back of my neck.
It lubes so it cuts better and doesn't fill the teeth .

Ron

[thefishinmusician]

I got some stuff from L.M.I. years ago, and just recently used it....It's shark something or other.....A green acid type thing that you suspend the files in over night....It definatly put a better cutting edge on the old files....Wish they still sold it, altho I do have a big jug of it left....

[Jeremy Borkat]

They're definitely wearing out. No questions about it. At least 50-80 graphtech nuts worth since I got them in February.

My boss asked why they don't make them out of a better material, and it just doesn't seem lucrative for filemakers to make something like that. I would absolutely love it if they were a harder steel, less flexible, and held an edge for longer - as would everyone. Oh well, we can't have our cake and file it too.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

[Mike Kolb]

I dunno, Ron... sometimes they do clog-up but there's definitely wear going-on as well. It seems that the thin ones (.010 to .015) tend to go first, altho' maybe just because they get used more frequently around here.

These days, I just bite the StewMac bullet and quietly get a couple of replacements as needed. What's interesting is how well the fresh ones work, indicating how slowly the old ones had worn.

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hey Jeremy-- All of my files (including flat bastard files) I take and rub them with common school house chalk first and I don't have a problem with them loading up with what ever you are filing.
Just my two cents...
Peace,
Donald

[Jeremy Borkat]

I use a white, plastic-friendly buffing compound on files that I worry about clogging due to it being a large block, it's hard to lose, and it has no abrasive qualities to it. It's basically just a heavy wax which works pretty well. Makes the fret-end files from stew-mac last a few strokes longer, but nothing beats a good file brush.

Still, clogging is not the problem. It's just wear, and I'm still looking for the best possible files. I'd invest in diamond coated ones if such a beast existed.