I Guess I Do Not Understand People And/Or Their Decisions.......

I have sharpened files with muriatic (hydrochloric) acid. It basically works by removing metal from the surface at a more or less uniform rate so the radius at the edge of the worn file reduces to zero. It doesn't correct gouges in the file though. and there can be a slight uneveness to the new surface. I expect that electrolytic sharpening would be much the same with the exception that there is no need to replenish the spent acid.
 
Who uses a file these days ?
 
So I have to wonder ........what are old time un-used Nicholson files worth ? If they have a value , I'll sell bucket loads and retire .
 
Buffalo21 said:
About 75% of the work I do is Time and Material, basic service calls, being the contractor, I always want/prefer T&M. Hard to lose money doing work at T&M.........:)
Click to expand...


Can't make any money selling your services T&M. Flat rate is better.
 
mmcmdl said:
So I have to wonder ........what are old time un-used Nicholson files worth ? If they have a value , I'll sell bucket loads and retire .
Click to expand...

To those of us who know how decent the old Nicholson files were, they're preferable to the run of the mill or newish Nicholson files. I've heard Nicholson sorted out the issues the newer ones had and the current crop is pretty close to the old ones. I don't know this first hand.

I have an old 6" Nicholson double cut bastard file that must be over 25 years old and it still cuts well. Draw files smooth as silk and is still dead flat. They don't make them like that anymore. If your files are still in their sleeves and are mint, I bet you could get a few bucks more per file than the current crop.
 
For many years I repaired electronic organs. It would have been pure happiness if I could charge flat rate. Trouble was there were at least a dozen different brands with scores of different models ranging from tube all the way to large ICs. Let's take that you turn it on and nothing happens. Actually had a couple customers who forgot to plug it in. If it was on a service call. I'll try to give them a break. If it is a blown amp, it's going to cost. Those were the years (1970s to 1980s) that a new instrument price started at $1000 new, so I made money. Now, one can buy a throw away for less than $100.
 
RJSakowski said:
Years ago, auto mechanics were renowned for jacking up the repair costs.
Click to expand...


Has something changed recently that I'm not aware of? I don't know about where you live, but the dealers
around here pad the bills with stuff constantly.
As far as flat rates are concerned, experienced mechanics beat the flat rate almost all the time.
 
Last edited:
As far as flat rates are concerned, experienced mechanics beat the flat rate almost all the time.

Unless it's warranty work with factory flat rate:(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top