Old Railroad Spikes for Knife Making

[erhunter]

Just curious if old railroad spikes are good for making forged knife blades? There are two boxes for sale near me if you knife makers are interested.

 

[SDSmlf]

A friend of mine used to makes knives from railroad spikes before he passed. Remember him talking about only high carbon or better grade spikes being good for knives. Believe all my photographs of his knives went away with Photobucket.

 

[bud in pa]

Just curious if old railroad spikes are good for making forged knife blades? There are two boxes for sale near me if you knife makers are interested.

I remember a blacksmithing video on youtube where the smith used spikes with an HC on the head. Look up Anvil Ringer he made a knife out of a RR spike and it passed the knife makers test.

 

[SOLANCO]

Asked a good blacksmith for a combat knife. He started with a RR repair spike, which is longer than the usual spike.

 

[Oldtimerbow]

The ones marked HC are high carbon and are usually used at the railroad crossings. If one of these are used they make fine blades.

 

[erhunter]

I messaged the seller of the spikes and over half of them are stamped "HC" on top and some have no markings, and some have "LW" on them. What does the "LW" stand for?

 

[LRB]

Even those with HC (high carbon) stamps make poor using blades. Roughly, they normally only have about .30% .35% carbon. A decent using knife in a simple carbon steel needs at least .70%, better blades will be closer to .80/85%, and good quality blades will be .85% to 1.00%. Some alloy steels can do well with slightly less. Wise smiths use RR spikes only for novelty knives or practice.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

LW Coe, SF Pacific.

Per my collection of blacksmith stuff for the forge,,,,
HC does not man High Carbon. It means Higher Carbon...(a fine point I know.)
They are Grade 2 according to RR standards .The notations says it's from .3% to .6% carbon.

Further notes, Medium carbon is .6% or higher. with High carbon like 1075 is .7%-.8% or 1095 which is .9 to 1.03% carbon. Personally, I'd want my knives to be made with 1095 (about 3x what carbon that 'HC; spike has = not worth it.

a side note also in my book is to make sure to buy new from a reputable source. Don't accept pickups or unknow sources spikes or you can be arrested for receiving stolen goods.

So as a blacksmith though I don't make knives, I stay away from them

 

[erhunter]

Thanks for all of the replies. I too had seen if they are truly railroad spikes they are still considered railroad property even if they are old.

 

[JCKelly]

LW Coe, SF Pacific.

Per my collection of blacksmith stuff for the forge,,,,
HC does not man High Carbon. It means Higher Carbon...(a fine point I know.)
They are Grade 2 according to RR standards .The notations says it's from .3% to .6% carbon.

Further notes, Medium carbon is .6% or higher. with High carbon like 1075 is .7%-.8% or 1095 which is .9 to 1.03% carbon. Personally, I'd want my knives to be made with 1095 (about 3x what carbon that 'HC; spike has = not worth it.

a side note also in my book is to make sure to buy new from a reputable source. Don't accept pickups or unknow sources spikes or you can be arrested for receiving stolen goods.

So as a blacksmith though I don't make knives, I stay away from them

Depends on what is the intended use. A fighting knife must NOT break in use. Personally I'd use the o.6% carbon for one. Though I would sure listen to someone who's EXPERIENCE says use somewhat lower carbon.
If it's a throwing knife, RR spike should be fine.
Now if that knife must hold a keen edge through a whole lot of cutting, then a higher carbon would be preferred.

 

[SOLANCO]

Depends on what is the intended use. A fighting knife must NOT break in use. Personally I'd use the o.6% carbon for one. Though I would sure listen to someone who's EXPERIENCE says use somewhat lower carbon.
If it's a throwing knife, RR spike should be fine.
Now if that knife must hold a keen edge through a whole lot of cutting, then a higher carbon would be preferred.

There are fighting knives and then there are fighting knives. Compare, for example, the Sykes-Fairbairn to the USMC Kbar, which was designed for general use as well as throat cutting. You could almost say the whole point of the Sykes-Fairbairn was the point. Unexpected and undetected quiet murder.

 

[FishDFly]

"USMC Kbar, which was designed for general use as well as throat cutting."

Kinda modern for is it not for this Forum?

 

[LRB]

I could be wrong, but I have read from more than one source, that the Ka-Bars were of 1095 steel, being .95% to 1.00% carbon. They do not break easily, and hold a fine cutting edge very well. Performance is more , or as much, dependent on heat treat and design as to carbon content assuming one has a steel with a practical amount of carbon to work with. You will not find many RR spikes with much more than 30/40 % carbon. .6% carbon would be a specialty spike, or a fluke.

 

[SOLANCO]

"USMC Kbar, which was designed for general use as well as throat cutting."

Kinda modern for is it not for this Forum?

Had to go to modern knives to make an example which would be easily and widely recognized. Sorry.

 

[LRB]

Had to go to modern knives to make an example which would be easily and widely recognized. Sorry.

I see no problem with your example. I think it was within the course the subject had taken.

 

[Whitworth]

I don't know about that but I spent a summer 51 years ago driving a lot of them with a spike hammer on the B&O