The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Solder flow file?

Back 35 years ago I did a lot of hand metal finishing in a shop where no one used that people commonly think of when it comes to metal finishing, which is the single cut rectangular file that screws onto a wooden handle that looks like a planer or a threaded turnbuckle thing that could be used to bend the file.

The ones I'm thinking of were double cut with a tang and about 12 inches long... coarser than a bastard file.

Anyway, I know this is a shot in the dark, but if anyone knows what I'm talking about I'd like to know where I can find one of these... I've Googled "solder flow file" and came up empty. When I Google "metal finishing file" I get a lot of hits but vendors don't list anything by the name of Solder flow file so it's possible they go by another name, and the pictures are so vague I can't see what they look like.

Any help is appreciated.

I think this is the wood handled version of the file you're talking about. I serched for "body file" on ebay and got a few hits including this one. I picked up one of the turn buckle types at a flea market for $7.00 recently.

Woody,

Look up EASTWOOD CO. they have the files you are refering to as well as the ones posted my ddales3.

Dave

That's exactly the file I'm NOT looking for. Those are vixen files and although they are most commonly used for metal finishing, that is not what I'm looking for.

Translation please...

so what yer lookin for is NOT what you so carefully first described, which of course sidetracked folks cuz they only read the beginnings of posts

if it was coarser than a bastard file, it would be a rasp, but maybe what you were using was a "vixen file", which is an old timey coarse file for working soft metal - the name used at your shop may well have been given to it there because of its use

you might have more luck figuring it out over at the auto body forum

Bill

EU-FREAKIN-REKA! That's it!

Thank you Tiny, here's your gold star

Now all I have to do is find a place that sells them... Simonds doesn't even list them in their own catalog :hammering:

Their phone number is at the bottom of the page. Give them a ring-a-ling.

Teaching the art of metal finish for years, I have used just
about every file made...Many say that the sheet metal used today
in the production of new cars cannot be metal finished because of
its thin gage which is completely false...to get the thin metal
straight, You must use a crooked file...sounds funny, but I guarantee its true...when You push a file, You actually are causing
a belly in the thin metal, whereas the file had a curve to it would
go down into the sunken metal to true it up...Our prototype hoods
were metal finished prior to installing the inner support structure. I would guess I would have 20 or more of those files...Sorry about being longwinded, but I thought some would like to know what such a tool is used for.....Bill B

I sent them a message asking where to buy them but I do find it curious that they're not listed in their catalog...

ddalesr3 is the user's name above that showed the picture...I forgot the "r"... posted by daalesr3.

OHHHHH.... okay.... "BY daalesr3" !

Now, THAT makes sense...

I have one of these files..great for roughing Bondo down to size. Is this what you are referring to.

http://www.tptools.com/p/2215,201_14-Adjustable-Files-and-Holder.html

Stuart

No, but THIS is... except these guys only sell the curved files.