This section provides an overview for needle files as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 needle files manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
Needle files are small files used for precision processing and are basically sold in sets of various shapes.
Even if you do not need needle files, an ordinary file is basically sufficient in many cases. Needle files, on the other hand, are indispensable for craftsmen, such as engravers who make jewelry.
They are also indispensable for ordinary people who are particular about the details of plastic models, and there are many people who love to use them.
Needle files are used for fine processing.
They are used not only by professional craftsmen but also by the general public when making accessories as a hobby or when creating dioramas and other precision models.
When making accessories, metal is bent, beaten, stretched, and even cut, which may cause burrs or sharp edges. Needle Files are used to remove burrs and make subtle adjustments.
Needle Files and paper files are also used to remove protrusions that remain after cutting plastic models and other parts.
Needle files are long, thin bar-shaped files that come in a variety of shapes.
The most versatile type is the flat type. It has a flat, elongated rectangular shape, so it can be inserted into small holes and is useful for deburring on flat surfaces.
The cylindrical round type is also often used. Because it is cylindrical, it can be used to enlarge holes, and because it is circular, it can be sharpened in any direction and in the same way in any direction, making it suitable for fine adjustments by inserting it into gaps between parts. However, since the file does not have a flat surface, it is not suitable for plane processing, as it tends to create bumps when sharpening the flat surface of a part.
There is another type of file, the rectangular type, which is suitable for processing grooves and other shapes because it is square.
However, if you want to polish more precisely, there are also oval-shaped needle files and back-tip files, which are spatula-shaped files that become thinner toward the end.
There is no strict distinction between needle files and ironworker's files. By implication, an ironworker's file is used to process metal in general, while a needle files is used for fine processing of plastic models and metal decorations.
Needle files have four levels of coarseness: coarse, medium, fine, and oil. Coarse is the coarsest and oil is the finest.
In some cases, they are described as coarse, medium, fine, ultrafine, and ultrafine.
The number of the file is often expressed as "#40," but this is the case with paper files (sandpaper). As for ironworker's files, they are expressed in four (or five) steps as mentioned above, instead of the number.
There are several types of grits depending on the shape of the blade as well as the coarseness. There is single grain, double grain, wavy grain, onigome grain, and sharp grain, etc. We will introduce a little about each of them below. In general, the most common types of needles used in needle files are single and compound.
The grain is cut in one direction at an angle of 65~85°. This type of file is used for finishing metal surfaces because of its beautiful cutting marks.
The upper eye is cut at an angle of 70 to 80° and the lower eye is cut at an angle of 45° diagonally across. The upper grain is for cutting and the lower grain is for chip evacuation.
The grain of the file is cut in an arc-shaped corrugated pattern. The coarse pitch of the grain prevents clogging and is suitable for removing paint.
This type of sandpaper is used for rough grinding. The grain of the file forms a sharp triangle like a grater, which is useful when shaving numerous pieces at once.
Rougher than the compound grain, but finer than the onigome grain, and is located right in the middle of the two.
Although the most important factor is how it is used for the individual, two characteristics of Needle Files that are generally considered as being easy to work with are described below.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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