More R.R. Spike Blacksmith Knives

[Hot&CoaledForge]

'WHC' on spike heads was the user instruction: Wallop Hard Center. - Jim

I've been "vibro quenching" them in veggy oil.

[Quenchcrack]

Tai, yeah, we agree on what the term "high carbon" is but ASTM has it's own vocabulary. I usually don't bother heat treating these since at best you will get something in the Rc 45 range with a water quench. Most of them probably end up sitting on a nice rosewood desk in some law office to be used in case of emergency. I still like making steak turners out of RR spikes but it does take a while to draw them out by hand.

I wonder if I've been picking up some carbon from the forge, or if some of the spikes snuck by with more carbon than they were supposed to have? As hardened, a used or worn single cut mill bastard file will skate on the edge. This is quite noticeably harder than mild steel, or the original state of the spikes. They are definitely hardening enough to make it worthwhile and the blades are fully functional.

I've heard some folks say that you flat out can't harden the spikes, but really it's just that they can't harden the spikes. If they are forging from an oxidizing atmoshpere they are loosing carbon.

Anyway, these are not serious performance knives, but fall more into the category of "novelty knives", so it's not worth arguing over. The purpose of the post was not to start a debate over the hardenability of the spikes, or the validity of knives as art, but to enjoy them for what they are.

[AwP]

Tai, you described things coming out of your forge when you use the wood+propane as being covered in soot, right? Maybe it's doing something similer to case hardening the outer skin?

Yes, I use a propane/wood fuel combo for forging and a contained reduction set up for heat treating. When forging I throw a wood chunk in the gas forge on every heat. The blade gets coated with soot inside the forge. It doesn't burn off until the blade comes out. I also forge the edges very thin, and pre-sharpen them with a file prior to heat treating. This is all typical in my shop. I have sharpened a few of them back several times with no loss in hardness.

I have been tempering them at 300-325.

Robert, if you are still reading this, have you tried cutting anything or sharpening yours yet? Just curious, even though they are more about the hammer work, as the name implies, (blacksmith knives).

I do all the hammer work "freehand" with hand hammers. I pinch the steel in, over the edge of the anvil where the blade starts, to form fairly sharp shoulders and to spread in width as much as possible,... to give them more dimension. The blades are about 4 and 1/2 inches long by 1 and 1/2 inches wide. I use a wooden schwoker to offset the blade, making the choil area crisper more dimensional. I use a cross pien to spread the blades as much as possible in width again adding as much dimension as possible.

[rhrocker]

Tai said: "Robert, if you are still reading this, have you tried cutting anything or sharpening yours yet? Just curious, even though they are more about the hammer work, as the name implies, (blacksmith knives). "

No, I haven't used it. May not in fact, It's just for my visual enjoyment, I have other things I can cut with, although I 'm sure it would perform just fine.

Thanks.

[gtrpicker]

They cut great, I've got all of um and they just are kick butt. I have to come up with a really cool case for um. If I use them hard and they go dull I will just resharpen um. no big deal for me.

Thanks gtrpicker!

[jonwelder]

Great looking knives! You have really raised the "bar" for RR spike knives! Have you ever tried using the large bolts that connect the pcs of rail togather? They are about (?) 9" long by about 1-1/4" od,, with a round head on the end,,,, also,,, Have you ever tried making knives from the new style "spring" connectors that hold the rail to the new concrete ties? Just wondering--- need some? I got some I'd send you! ---jon

[TexasJack]

I look at Tai's posts and figure he could make an art project out of the foil in a gum wrapper. I knocked out a couple of spike knives just to see if I could do it (on a one-brick forge) and was pretty proud of myself until I see what he comes up with. Then I absorb some of those ideas and make a better looking knife, and he posts something even better. He's a true artist and a source of real inspiration.

WoW! Thanks.

I haven't tried any of the bolts or other stuff from the tracks, but I see them laying around all the time.

[Gene Chapman]

Great looking blacksmith knives Tai.

While on vacation recently we visited a RR Museum in Golden Colorado. The museum is across the road from the Coors brewery.

Here is a pair of RR spike tongs I made to hole them. They are handy for other odd shaped work from time to time.

Texas Jack, we saw a RR spike opener like the top one in your post at the RR museum. Looks like the slot is milled in the spike. It looked like about 1/4" to 5/16" wide to me at the time. Hmmm wonder if a opener slot could be forged in a bar under the fly press.

[TexasJack]

I seem to recall a couple of bottle openers over on Angelfire, but they were true forging projects. What struck me about the design I posted was that it was simple - almost to the point of being ridiculous. I guess it would open a bottle, but I don't know as I'd pay that much for a spike with a slot cut in it.

I did some work for a steel mill in El Paso some years ago. (Talk about a hot place!) They used to make RR spikes, but stopped because of lack of demand. There were thousands of brand new spikes laying around, but I had no way to transport them at the time. Most of what they make now is rebar. They melt scrap cars - and I mean EVERYTHING in it - in a big electric furnace. Three graphite electrodes do the melt and furnish carbon. I have to assume that their spikes were similar quality steel.