Rob Kramer wrote in message ...
ken wrote:

I started to wonder how tey did things that far back. Like how did
they make files? I've looked around the internet and found just about
nothing. I have only a limited amount of available tim eon computer so
has anybody found an links?

Here's a nice link on file making:

http://www.watchman.dsl.pipex.com/filemaking/index.html

(The rest of this site is also very interesting for people who are

Did you know there is a drawing in DaVinci's papers of a file-cutting
machine which looks similar to (but less complicated than) the picture
I posted from the Musee des Artes et Metiers? I don't know if it was
ever constructed, but the drawing shows the concept of doing this by
machine was around very early.

I think it's not so much that the procedures for heat treatment and
tempering of steel were not known prior to the Sheffield makers' use
in the mid-1800's; more that good steel was hard to come by.

The basics of hardening steel have been known dating back to ancient
times by swordmakers and other metalsmiths -- what was new in the
mid-1800's were the new steel-making proceses, which greatly increased
the availablilty of good steel.

Regards,

Bob


horologically inclined)

Cheers!

Rob