Yeah, that's what I did. I started out with full kits, then to buying blades and buying separate materials that needed shaping etc. I started out grinding old files, grinding them "cool" so as not to lose the original heat treat; and then tempering them in my oven. After grinding those stubborn old files, switching over to grinding regular barstock wan't all that difficult. People who have those old file knives, still use the heck out of them.
