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So, I wanted a coarser file, but I didn't want to go buy one. What I came up with is a home made file that works very well for me.

Items required:
1 Pair of Chopsticks or Plastic Rod
1 Sheet of Sandpaper (grit to your taste)
1 Superglue (or other, if you prefer)
1 Hobby Knife
1 Saw (Optional)



Step 1:
Cut the chopstick to remove the square end.



Step 2:
Apply glue to one side of the chopstick. Only apply along the section of chopstick you will apply the sandpaper to.

Step 3:
Once glue is applied, roll the sandpaper onto the chopstick so that all the glue is covered. Hold for a couple of minutes to allow the glue to set.



Step 4:
Using your hobby knife, cut away excess sandpaper. I cut along the chopstick itself, as this insured that all of the sandpaper was glued.

Step 5:
Apply glue to the remaining uncovered chopstick. Again, hold for a few minutes to allow to dry.

Step 6:
Cut excess sandpaper away.

Viola, home made file.



If you were to use a square chopstick, rather than a round chopstick, you could apply different grits of sandpaper to each side, allowing multiple grades of filing to be done with a single tool.

If you use plastic rod, you can use a smaller rod for harder to reach areas. Note that coarser sandpaper tends to be thicker, so it is more likely to crease and less useful for smaller diameter rods.

I hope this helps you in your projects!

Looks more like a pointy drumstick rather than a chop stick. Any way I think its easier buying one for 55c at my hardware store :|

Thats a sanding stick It will work fine on plastic figs, but if you try it on a metal fig its not gonna work well or last long compared to an actual file( which will last years if you treat it right)

Mistress of minis wrote:Thats a sanding stick It will work fine on plastic figs, but if you try it on a metal fig its not gonna work well or last long compared to an actual file( which will last years if you treat it right)

True that. There's a hobby company that makes various grits of sandpaper on a 1/4" wide strip of flexible foamcore, sold in combo packs at Hobby World in my neighborhood in the modelling/train section. The same company sells hobby files very reasonably as well.

I do the same with toothpicks for when i want to get into a nook the a file would have a problem getting to

You can buy these premade such as these and these, but you'll still occaisionally need to make a "field expedient" one such as you have made to get into weird nooks and crevices.