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I've recently received some 21 railroad spikes! I want to forge them into blades. I'd like one to be a 3.5"-4" blade, the other I'd like to be a 2.5" blade... for a tomahawk! I like the looks of the hand forged stuff, so I'd like to make my own. I've got the material, a "forge", and tongs, but I need some advice. What do I buy? How can I make the blades?
And in other news....A train derailment in Delaware was blamed on stolen railroad spikes. Officials are investigating.
It wasn't like that. It was a comical thought, though. These I recieved because they were garbage, all rusted up. As soon as I get it cherry-red they'll clean up nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick
YouTube and Google has plenty of guides and info on forging railroad spikes.
Here's a site I like.
http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tuto...=spikeaxe/demo
Finding a local blacksmith associate helps too
Thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by wilderness medic
3lb to 5lb hammer, and for a small poor man's anvil I recommend the head of a large sledge hammer 1/3 burried in a hardwood log section or a pillar of concrete.
HC Rail spikes won't make a wonderful blade, but they'll make a 'knife' near enough for practice's sake. Some people have made some wonderful blacksmith's knives as art objects from them.
To get any worthwhile hardening, they will need to be HC spikes, and will need a pretty aggressive quench. Many people have used brine with some dish soap as a surfactant.
Thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
The high carbon spikes are marked with a mfg letter ID and the letters HC for high carbon.
If they do not have the HC marking they are not worth fooling with.
I'll check.Quote:
Originally Posted by kyratshooter
those spikes make a nice coat rack. Take a small log 5 or 6 inches in dia by 6 foot long or so, split it half in two longways. Then drill some holes along the log side, slightly smaller than the spikes. Angle the holes up a bit, maybe 10 inches or so apart. Drive the spikes into the holes and hang the log on the wall about eye level.
Good idea!Quote:
Originally Posted by randyt
Also see these cool snakes made from rail spikes by Ron Reil.
I have plenty, so maybe I could make an attempt at that. It'd probably look more like an inchworm, though...Quote:
Originally Posted by canid
Railroad spikes are made out of a low carbon steel, which makes them easy to bend and have low edge retention.
Is that all of them? Kyratshooter says that some are made with high carbon steel (see post #8), but I don't know much about them to begin with.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adventure Wolf
The ones that are stamped HC (high carbon) are still pretty low in carbon content. You can make a serviceable knife, but it won't hold an edge all that well. Good practice though and you can make some beautiful pieces.
I have nothing against rail spikes but if I'm going to spend the time hammering a project out and it requires carbon steel, acquire a good chunk of steel. I don't feel it's necessary to get store bought steel but some junkyard steel with the equivalent of 1070 or 1080 would suffice.
What "junkyard steel" do you recommend? Car parts? Old machinery?Quote:
Originally Posted by randyt
here's a link
http://www.anvilfire.com/article.php...yard_steel.htm
I keep an eye out for old Nicholson and Sterrit files. They were made from 0-1 and 0-2Quote:
Originally Posted by Zack
Old Stanly/Craftsman wood chisels were made from 1086 and tough as nails. I have seen them hammered into blades and even air cooled they made a serviceable blade.
Old long arch hay rake tines are good but will not make a large knife due to their diameter. I am not sure if there was a standard steel used for them but I treat them like 0-1 and they hold a good edge. You can also make some kick butt fire steels from then if you heat them to cherry red and quench in oil.
As for "junk yard steel" I have always suspected that the innards of a transmission would render some good blades if one could figure out the hardening and stress relief.
I also got a good blade out of a tie-rod end on one occasion but it took some help from a metallurgical engineer to get the temper right and he leaned more on his 30 years experience than his book learning. That was 20 years ago and I dare say I could not remember the exact color he got before dumping it in the oil quench.
Most of the time junk yard steel is a crap shoot, just like your railroad spikes.
Almost as big a crap shoot as buying production knives, which I do not believe are made from what they claim most of the time.