One thing leads to another...

OK, Have a few railroad spikes that I have cleaned up, I use them as tools, and was wondering where I could buy more. found some, but stumbled on this kid making a knife from one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6yiBqgzrJM

The music was kinda like Civil War themed, it seemed to me, and seemed perfect for the video.

Tracking down the music led me to:

http://freeplaymusic.com/search/category_search.php?t=v&i=35

These guys make great music! "Clearing A" is the tune on the video...

 

Railway track? I don't think they'll miss them there's loads:-D

I remember watching a rocket movie and they couldn't find steel good enough for the nozzle so ended up taking an old piece of railway track to the blacksmith where he made nozzles from them and they worked great! Really good steel.

BTW I've also done the compressor/vacuum in the BBQ trick, I melter a hole straight through the bottom of it:-D

 

Spikes, not track. If i had a length of track, say 3 feet or less, it would make a great anvil...

Yeah, the movie, true story, about the kid in coal country that wins a science prize and ends up working at NASA? that one?

Another cool vid I saw that did have track was one where the guy welds track sections with Thermite.

 

I know, if you find the track you find the spikes.

Yeah that's the one couldn't remember the name, good movie.

Wonder what the difference is between track metal and spike metal if any? I've done quite a bit of metal work and the steel he was beating was really good quality.

If I did have go I would be tempted to do it the proper way with piece of high carbon steel sandwiched between two pieces of high tensile steel then beaten flat.

Found this while watching your vid cipher, pretty cool how you can see the chain marks in the finished blade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTy-LJtpUxY

 

Seems rail track is produced to very high tolerances and compositions while spikes are basic form of mild carbon steel similar to many knives which is why they make decent knives and tools as you put.

Can't find any info on the amount of carbon used, there's a regulation that determines the tolerance but can't find any info, found this though on rail track.

http://www.keytometals.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=kts&NM=244

My guess is the quality and carbon will vary wildly between areas and year of production.

 

Nice vid, thanks mate! :cool

http://www.anvilfire.com/article.php?bodyName=/FAQs/rr-spike.htm

has some good info, particularly the one by "guru" who goes into spark testing...

Apparently my spikes are not HC steel, but like the man sez, for a thick knife it will work fine. I've also heard of folks making knives from used up skill saw blades...

Used to have a one foot length of track that a goldsmith had tweaked up and used in his work, but alas, it is long gone now.