TAMIYA`s files.

 I'm no expert on the subject or anything, but I picked up the 3 piece file set that Tamiya offers. I would guess they're about a 320/280 grit. They work great on plastic. I'm not sure if they're the same file or not. I also have the diamond file that they offer, for PE. It works fine for brass. That one is a 400 grit. For road wheels I use 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper, then a file to nick them up a bit. The sand paper works great if you can chuck the wheel into a cordless variable speed drill set at low speed. Cuts the sanding time in half or more. On WWII German tanks with interleaved suspensions, it saves a lot of the tedious work.HTH

For sanding PE parts I like using my Dremel with a flat sanding disc.  I have one attached to the end of my drum sanding  tool. The disc is flexible and is very fine in grit. In the past I have accidentially bent the PE part trying to use a file to remove the burrs or trimming it to fit. This is way better and precise. IMHO

Of course if you have a good PE Shear like the ones from Xuron, you are less likely to have any additional trimming to do.

I got the 15mm and 16 mm files by Tamiya.  I also have their "three pack" files and the file for PE parts.  The 15mm and 16mm files are probably close to what you're looking for.  They aren't nearly as coarse as the "three pack" files.  They work well but I find them to be a bit expensive.  I caught a sale on Tamiyausa.com some months back and the files for $10 a piece.

In a nut shell, if the "three pack" files are considered medium grit, I would call the 15mm and 16mm files fine grit.

Jesse

I made a mistake here by saying "METAL FILE".

I need files for plastic and wondered how rough the 16mm is.Why i said metal files i do not know!!!!!  Most files are made from metal.

Are they suitable for general styrene work?

Files.......are files concerning the term 'metal files'. There may be better products out there you will hear about here. But files are made of metal and are suitable for both metal and plastic. I suggest buying one of those brass wire cookout 'grill cleaner' wire brushes to clean your files after use. Standard 'file cards' (that's the tool name) are too large to clean needle and modeling files.

Always clean across the sides of the file and don't sweep down it as though sharpening a knife. Even brass can dull hardened steel. 

namrednef wrote:

But files are made of metal and are suitable for both metal and plastic.

In regards to Tamiya's 15mm and 16mm files, they are not to be used on metal.  The teeth pattern are very different from other files.  The website clearly states not to use these files on metal:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74058 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74062

Jesse

usmc1371 wrote:

namrednef wrote: But files are made of metal and are suitable for both metal and plastic. In regards to Tamiya's 15mm and 16mm files, they are not to be used on metal.  The teeth pattern are very different from other files.  The website clearly states not to use these files on metal: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74058 http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74062 Jesse

That was my point about mentioning that other things would be learned by his post! Anyone can buy a set of needle files in many stores and not knowing what they're getting. For instance Harbor Freight sells a set that touts using them for all materials.....but I wouldn't use them on anything harder than styrene! You get what you pay for.

I own a couple old-school sets of Swiss made needle files meant for metal filing. I wanted to emphasize the importance of cleaning and how to do it. I wasn't very clear. 

I know what you mean.  The Tamiya "For Plastic Only" files diffently have different teeth then my regular "Plastic or Metal" files.  Personally, I don't think it's worth the money for the "For Plastic Only" files.  I hardly use mine. 

Jesse