I don't remember where I saw it, but at some point I saw somebody say soaking your files in white vinegar for a day will freshen them up. My chainsaw files especially the round haven't been biting well the last bit, I have tried file card / brush, didn't help much. Soaked them in white vinegar for.... well was supposed to be a day but I forgot them and it ended up being three But wow, did it ever work, totally clean and biting like new. I rinsed off the vinegar with wd-40 and wiped them off good. Probably not good to leave the vinegar on them.
Interesting. Since I use files nearly daily for my career, I had to look it up and yes it’s a thing, with one caveat. It works best with files that might be slightly worn and loaded up with grime and metal debris, but not on files that have been abused to the point where the cutting edges are rounded completely over. Still, I’ll try this technique at home anyway. Thanks for passing on the information.
Yeah, makes sense. The vinegar being slightly acicid seems to eat away the tiny bits of metal that stick in the grooves and make it not cut well, but not acidic enough to sharpen it for you. I ran a filecard over mine pretty well and it was not able to remove alot of the stuff that was stuck really well, vinegar no problem, file is clean like new.
I use to be full of p?ss and vinegar , but now it is just the former. I will have to give this a try.
They have. A gallon of white vinegar used to be less than $2 around here. Now it's somewhere between $3.50-4.00. That's within the last couple years....
We dont use much bleach. I like to keep some on hand, but we've had some issues with the jugs/containers deteriorating and the bleach leaking. Anyone else ever encounter this? Perhaps I'd be better to get some bleach tablets or powder now that I think about it. Not to derail thread...
Every little while I hear of another use for white vinegar. My wife uses it in place of fabric softener in the laundry. It actually makes clothes smell/feel cleaner and keep their shape. And it's cheaper. I just figure with more uses for it the price is bound to go up due to supply/demand.
That's what we use it for the most. If we take off farm clothes and set on porch, they tend to get a bit dampish before we get a load. Vinegar in that wash helps to take care of the smells associated. Its good for towel washes as well. Wife also uses it with the jui jitsu gi washes, those things can get a funk and try to hold onto it...
Very interesting trick! Wonder how that would work with the 30% vinegar they are selling at the big box stores these days.
