Go and search Google Images : 'railroad spike knife'. I personally consider making knives from rail spikes as a kind of a beginner's trick. More important is 'how long will it *keep* that edge?'. The question should not be 'how sharp is it?' (a function of care with polishing). At that size limit, normally use of a higher carbon range is indicated.ĭo also remember that you can make a piece of paper 'sharp' enough to cut your finger. The amount of raw material on a rail spike will limit the finished cutting edge to something in the range of 4 - 6 inches. With a box cutter, which is razor sharp, but breaks with the least amount of force to it. You can hack down a tree with it, but it does not stay sharp all that long. This refers directly to what I at least call 'the Bladesmith's Dilemma' :Īs you increase * hardness * (via more carbon), you also increase * brittleness *.Ĭompare a typical machette at about 0.50 % carbon. Any knife expected to holdĪ decent working edge should be at least the range.
The second number of those specifications is 1/100 of percent carbon. The problem with rail spikes as a starting material is that the highest Heat and pound the ends into steak knives and or cheese knives? I have numerous rail spikes that I was hoping I could bring to you to Forging Railroad Spike Tongs for Blacksmithing.Blacksmithing Railroad Spike Tongs Simplified Version.Forging Rail Spike Tongs from Old Nippers.Blacksmithing tools - Flat nib tongs forged of two railroad spikes.Poor Man's Forged Bolt or RR Spike Tongs From Harbor Freight Long Handled Pliers.Blacksmithing tools - Railroad spike bolt tongs.Forge a Medieval Rondel out of a Railroad spike.Standard Specification for Steel Track Spikes. Railroad spikes can be gathered from old tracks, purchased in antique shops or purchased from train enthusiasts, and they are turned into a variety of useful and creative tools.ĪSTM A65-01. Railroad spikes, which have been used on railroad tracks for more than 100 years, are collector's items for train enthusiasts and historians. One such object that you may not have thought much about is the railroad spike. Many people enjoy taking uncommon objects and making practical tools out of them. (The Tuyere, newsletter of the Illinois Valey Blacksmith Association) With this in mind, be aware of a higher carbon content and work with the material accordingly. The spikes are barely heat treatable and won't hold an edge very long. 80% that we would usually call high carbon. HC on a railroad spike does not necessarily mean high carbon, it may mean highway crossing, and these spikes need to be stronger for this part of the track. In seasoned oak, another experimenter needed 4,281 pounds. Early experiments showed that pulling out a 9/16″ × 9/16″ spike driven 4¼" inches into dry cedar required on average a force of 857 pounds. A spike with the wedge driven across the grain will have about twice as much holding power as one driven with the grain. Its square cross section gives a railroad spike much higher holding strength than a fastener having the same amount of metal but a circular cross section has roughly speaking, about 50% more. The wedge is driven into the tie across the grain, that is, parallel to the track. The spikes used to fasten T-shaped railroad track to wooden ties have an L-shaped head and a square shank. Appalachian Blacksmiths Association - Oil.Appalachian Blacksmiths Association - Wax.
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