10/31/2023 0 Comments Heat treating railroad spike knife![]() On a grinder in low light grind the sample and watch the sparks. As with all scrap steel the best thing to do is take a sample and test it.įirst try the "spark test". However, spikes were manufactured by many manufacturers and they vary quite a bit. The high carbon are 40 to 60 point carbon steel and supposedly marked "HC" on the head. RR-Spikes, There are two types a low carbon and a high carbon. Obviously they were too high of carbon for that treatment! ![]() Terrible things! I broke them no too long ago trying to straighten them cold. My first pair of tongs were made from spikes. But if you make a long slender blade it can be either too brittle or too soft. So if you make a relatively heavy blade like most hunting knives it will do OK. This results in a blade that is more brittle and prone to breaking. In a lower carbon steel blade you must temper less to keep the hardness. The result is a strong flexible blade with a hard enough edge to stay sharp. Most good blades are made of relatively high carbon steel (60 to 90 point) and are tempered way back after hardening. This is too soft for a great knife but good enough for an OK knife. I'm not sure what the carbon content is of each type, however many spikes have about 40 point carbon making them equivalent to a 1040 steel. The high carbon ones are supposed to be marked with an "HC" on the head. RR-SPIKES: There are two types of spikes, low carbon and high carbon. McMaster-Carr carries them in two sizes for 0.60 USD (look under spike). ![]() Sometimes you find them at fleamarkets and such. The rail roads don't like it, it IS ILLEGAL (tresspassing, theft). RR-SPIKES: Henry, Most folks pick them up along rail road beds. I've seen the "S" code also, but I don't remember what it stands for.Īs for finding them, I just take a walk along some railroad tracks and pick up cast offs.Ī good time is after they do track maintenance. If there is an additional "C" on the head, it means copper has been added to the alloy. I have been told that NON-HC spikes haven't been made since the 70's.Īll current spikes are HC, but there are variations. Non-HC spikes were about 20 points of carbon. They make better letter openers than knives. RR spikes: HC RR spikes are 30 to 40 points of carbon. There's more (other RR steels) if you're interested. on RR spikes, I found the following somewhere online: RR-Spikes : Spike Material and Use To a new blacksmith with hammer and forge every RR-spike looks like raw material! :)
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