Large files, called mill bastards are rarely used in polishing but they deserve a mention because on occasion they are used during the benching process. Mill bastards come in four basic shapes; flat, round, triangle, and oval. Typically 8 to 12 inches long, they have coarse teeth and can remove large amounts of steel (relative to polishing). Because of this, caution should be used with these tools. They are used for flattening, initial smoothing of large radii, and “cleaning” out corners. They are always pushed by hand.
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