Coming out of the shadows with this post...FILES!

[hippygirl]

Cut 2 is medium, but as I am very impatient I also have cut 0 in the 6" flat file, which really does the business.
In the half round, cut 4 is good for gentle removal and a near perfect finish.
For wood and acrylic 00 is best. Dennis.

After having used my new files for a bit now, I've decided to get a #0 with my next order. The #2 cuts MUCH better than what I was using before, but even it is a bit too slow in some situations.

[misspond]

Some years ago when I was working with copper and annealed steel wire to make "assemblage" jewellery I figured I needed a file to make sure the wire ends were smooth and popped in to one of my favourite local charity shops (a proper old style higgledy piggledy one) as they had a room in the back that often held old tools and such. I found myself a 4" flat and triangular and a 6" half round, purchased for the princely sum of £1. They've now been moved on to my silver working and have been brilliant. No idea of the make, there's something stamped into one of them but I can't make it out, and I didn't know what cut they were either. Just last week I decided to treat myself to a Vallorbe half round 2 cut from Eternal Tools so now know that the others are all 2 cut as well. I do often wish I'd had a better look in that box of tools though, who knows what I might have found!

[Dennis]

I like your story which chimes with mine. When I started, there was a marvellous used tool shop in Islington London, which had lots of jewellers items. Twentyfive years on, I still use the saw frame and solder shears, which I bought there.