Mine are 10 inch for h/saw frame but down to my last half dozen or so

The original ‘Abrafiles’ were very thin steel files, and fitted a hacksaw via clips so if you needed cut a profile entirely within the material the pilot-hole for their end beads was of minimal diameter – about 1/8″ I think.

They have disappeared, but the abrasive wire-saw blades sold in hardware-shops and builders’ merchants for cutting tiles and the like will cut mild-steel. I have not tried them on other metals – aluminium would probably clog them.

As these are for cutting glazed ceramics they might work on High-Speed Steel, for roughing a blank to shape. I’ve not tried it though.

They are even more fragile than the Abrafiles were, and their crimped-eyelet ends require a sizeable pilot hole.

Plenty of threads on here about Abrafiles and sources/alternatives.

Can still be had on ebay as NOS

Hi

I found a brand new (But very old) one in the garage today with fixed wire handles.

Somewhere I have a brand new abrafile, new because I only have one end clip. If anyone has a spare to donate please get in touch.

George

Hi George Baker 1, the clips are quite easy to make, and although I have a pair of clips, they wouldn’t fit onto the only hacksaw frame I have, that couldn’t be made shorter for some 8″ files that were on e-bay around this time last year. My original clips have a spring retainer to keep the on, but they aren’t essential.

This is the frame I had to shorten with a replacement piece of hollow section.

Regards Nick.

The spring clip retainers were a “Luxury” version for hamfisted Inginhears.

Regards  Ian.