Cleaning solder out of needle files?

[Chris333]

OK I know how to clean a regular big tooth file with a brass bar and I have a file rifle. But how do I clean these small a$$ needle files to get all the solder out? When I make track I always file down the solder blobs and these files load up fast.

I even tried fluxing them and soaking up the solder with a hot iron, sorta worked kinda, when it wasn't just spreading the solder around.



Give me a winner here. 

[victor miranda]

a magnifying glass and a #11 blade.

clean each groove out with the tip.

the other method does not always work...
file steel.  the steel will displace the solder.

victor

[C855B]

It's been ages since last time I did it, but try a Dremel with a wire wheel. Yeah, you'll wear out the wire wheel pretty fast, so either: 1) consider the wire wheel a consumable, or 2) save yourself time/energy/angst and do what I do now, consider the files a consumable. :shouldershrug:

[peteski]

Like Victor, I clean mine with a knife blade, one groove at a time.  But I never let my files get that clogged up.  Also, instead of those special file-cleaning wire brushes I use cheap stainless steel brush from Harbor Freight (or similar).  These have longer bristles made from thinner wire which gets deeper in the file grooves.

I also heard that running a clean file through a piece of chalk (to fill the grooves with chalk), then filing soft metal will reduce clogging.

[Chris333]

I was hoping for a miracle 

I takes a very short time to load these up. The 3 in the photo were brand new yesterday, now both side of all 3 are clogged. If I clean them one line at a time it might end up taking longer to clean than to load them 

Either way I'll give it and the chalk a try.

[central.vermont]

Never heard of the chalk method but what I do is spray my files with WD40 before filing and then use a wire brush to clean away the build up. Been working for me for years like that. But every so often I also have to get the #11 out to clean away some stubborn debris.

Jon

[mmagliaro]

I've use the Dremel wire wheel, but it doesn't do that great a job.

One of those furniture refinishing brass brushes does a good job. (They look like a slightly oversized
toothbrush with a wooden handle and brass bristles... like this:



But in the end, it doesn't clean out all the solder and I usually end up using the Xacto blade method
to finish up.

[peteski]

The brush Max shows is exactly what I use. But I prefer stainless steel bristles - stiffer than brass.

[Chris333]

The steel brush works if I heat up the file with a lighter. Otherwise it really does nothing. I think the teeth are too small for the brush to have any effect. These flies are only about 1/4" wide.

[71jeep]

Just use a piece of brass draw it across the file will clean it right up.

[up1950s]

File Card ............Has steel wires designed to clean files .

http://www.micromark.com/file-cleaner,7355.html

https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1895&bih=894&q=file+card&oq=file+card&gs_l=img.12..0l5j0i30l3j0i5i30l2.1255.4897.0.7090.9.9.0.0.0.0.117.815.6j3.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.9.810.f0TZXGGFq8A#newwindow=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=file+card+tool

[Santa Fe Guy]

I agree with Ritchie a file card will work. We used them all the time in the olden days.
Rod.

[C855B]

My experience with file cards is they're too coarse for fine needle files. YMMV, however. I have used a brass brush with some success.

[Chris333]

File card. That is what I called a file rifle. Yeah they work on larger files with bigger teeth, but not these ones.

[u18b]

Chris.

I feel your pain and glad you asked.

Because I have wondered the same thing!