Railroad spike knives
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- Опубліковано 30 гру 2020
- A quick video making a railroad spike knife. I was given a handful of spikes some time ago but never until now used any.
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#GaryHuston #Farrier #Blacksmith #welding #engineering #fabrication #horseshoeing #defender - Розваги
Steel snobs can stop commenting any time now. Someday you may not have proven steels to purchase. This is good and proper knowledge everyone should know. State of the world being what it is.....
That is a really high quality level of finish for a spike knife.
RR spikes are a carbon steel. They usually range from .2 to .4 in carbon content. They have to have this higher carbon content in order to stand up under the flexing that a train puts them under. So while they won't hold an edge as long as 1095 or fight rust like stainless, they are a higher carbon steel. This complaint that they're rubbish is a modern thing really. Take those spikes back 2 or 3 hundred years, and they would be considered top-notch steel.
Chandler Dickinson was what you might call a railroad spike expert. In my view he is sadly missed here on UA-cam. In my opinion you are both similar blacksmiths both good guys. Thanks for your continued efforts in entertaining and educating people. Happy New Year.
Thanks.
I do miss Chandler. I still check his channel every so often just to see if he's posted.
The letters H M L On the end depict the carbon content nice work Gary from an old farrier.
Thank you so much for posting... . I m a newbie waiting on fire bricks. Found a awesome anvil.... Barely used from 1899 225 lbs. This will be my first project and tongs... 🛠👍👍👍👍
I’m a Welshman working on North American railroads and the spikes are high carbon Steele. Smiths love them here. Nice video indeed thanks.
I would disagree. Maybe some spikes might be but i doubt it. My postaband cut through a quenched one. If it were High carbon it would have skated off like glass and not cut at all. High carbon is too brittle and not good for applications like railroad track spikes. Might be medium carbon like 1040 or less carbon than that on some. The old rail spring clips are 1040 i know this for sure.
@@stoneinthefield1 yeah, according to any official sources I've found, railroad spikes are a max of .5% carbon for the rarest ones, .3% - .4% for uncommon ones and most are .15% - .2%. Spikes have marks to tell what kind they are and their origin, so you can sort and find the "high" carbon ones, but even in ice water, I can't get them very hard.
I only rarely make them for touristy show pieces
@@Bookrider951 I agree it is just a fun, practice steel for knife making. Some people who don’t do their homework or know much about steel truly believe it is a good knife steel. Maybe a butter knife. Lol
@@stoneinthefield1 I think every blade Smith should make a few, especially when beginning. You learn a lot about how to move steel, grinding, filing, polishing, and they always sell for a decent amount
@@Bookrider951 for sure. But the smith should be honest about the steel to common people that it will not hold an edge. Spikes are great for many things. In my garage I hang my jacket on one that I forged, They are cheep or free. Make everything you can with them and make money doing it. Heck yeah!
I’m a sucker for rr spike knives. Love!
Thanks Gary!!
Thank you for your inspiring work ! I have learnt much from your videos over the years. Happy new year from Sweden Gary!
This is “play-by-play” forging. Good work!!!
I'm just starting to forge this video is awesome
Love those tongs you modified just for spikes.
Enjoyed every moment of this video, you have this relaxing vibe to your content!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, you really chiseled those grooves in crisp. Bravo
Thanks a lot!
well done !
I like using the top of the spike as the pommel it just makes perfect sense. I’ve seen so many guys flatten it and I never understood that
Enjoyed the video. Big time jealous of that anvil.
Glad you enjoyed it
Looks nice sir. Also handy bit of info.
Spikes can very in carbon content. But for what it is...it works well enough as youve proven.
🙏Blessed days and hearty wishes for a happy new years
Crawford out 🔥⚒️🧙🏼♂️
Less than six minutes and at this point but I wanted to make the comment before I forgot it a blacksmith named Chandler Dickinson used your Rams Head videos as his inspiration and made quite a few railroad spike knives. And I very much agree that your voice over work in your descriptions is very pleasing to the ears and entertaining when you brought a little bit trying to get that wrench back on to correct your twist, I live in the u.s. so we don't call it a spanner but I understand very well what you mean
As always, this was both educational and inspiring! I appreciate that you show us what can be done with heat and a hammer. Most of us don't have presses and power hammers. Thank you for the encouragement ! Happy New Year !
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks great.
Thanks Pete, are you still busy?
@@garyhuston Good new year Gary. I’m not as busy as in the past. My hip really started giving some fits. So I had to let one of the big barns go this year. If I put an average on the day I would guess I’m shoeing 5 to 7 horses a day now. I only have 4 sets of 4 shoes today. Then I’m heading to the chiropractor. Have you ever used a chiropractor? Sorry I’ve been quiet on YT I have watched all your videos.
@@Shadeskast Ha, to me that still sounds like a lot of horses! I have spent more money at the chiropractors than I can count! But, worth every penny, they have kept me going for this long when the doctors told me to give up my job 30 years ago!!
Very nice! Happy New Year!!
Same to you Kevin!
Beautiful
Thank you
i dont feel like they're "rubbish" knives/steel. just not as preferred as other knives, i love them. great knife all around! Tanto blades are my favorite style to forge. cheers
Happy Holidays mate!!!
Have a great new year my friend!!!
Luv what you do and plz keep it up!!!
❤️❤️🙏🏻💪🏼💪🏼👊🏼👍🏻🎄🤣
Thanks, all the best to you and yours!
Nice work, I work for the railroad as a train driver and as a new blacksmith I’m hoping to learn a lot from railroad spikes. Once I get everything set up for my forge I will follow your advice and hopefully I can get some nice results. Thanks for the vid!
Best of luck!
Hey bro I’m in the middle of building my 2x72 grinder had shoulder surgery a few weeks back so as soon as I can get back in the shop I might just make this my first project a warm up for building a hoof knife, very inspiring thanks Gary!
Hope the shoulder heals well, the 2x72 is one of my best builds, I use it every day!
Sempre é uma alegria ver seus vídeos,o senhor não imagina quão bem eles nos faz.Não nos deixe tanto tempo sem novidades.Felicidades e muita saúde para o senhor.
You can sometimes figure out the grade by the stamping on the head.
I've made a couple and only one dosen't hold an edge for as long as the others.
First one was uncomfortable for my hand personally so gave it to a fried that likes fat handles on everything.
So made another one for myself and streched it out a bit before twisting it.
It holds an edge well enough I use it to butcher hogs.
Nice looking knives. People can what they will about RR spike steel, it can still make a decent knife as long as you're not expecting it to be the same as 1080 etc. Fine for a practice or trinket piece, I've even seen people who have used them for a long time and liked them, as long as you don't mind sharpening often. 😉
I saw the AvE sticker on your grinder and immediately subscribed. Thanks for the vid!
Happy New Year Gary
Thanks, and to you..
Happy new year Gary.
Thanks, and to you.
Super master Bravo 👏👍🔥.
Many thanks!!
Happy new year from the USA gary!
Same to you!
Nice work! We posted this video in our homemade tools forum this week :)
Thanks.
I would buy one of these
AS USUAL a proppa job, love your videos mate.
Glad you like them!
While there may be other steels one can use to make a knife from about the only difference is the edge holding ability. All in all you only need to sharpen or touch up the edge to keep it sharp depending on what you are cutting with it. The railroad spikes do make nice looking knives. Good job!
One thing ive kearned is having a single edge bevel can make the knife cut funny, like, the bevel will cause the knife to glance to the direction it is slanted at. It will still work just fine, just a nuance.
Keep on forging chap, there is always some wanker that says spikes make crappy knives, they are not high carbon for a fact, I sell them as novelty items, not a working blade, here's the positive _ folks will buy them all day long for 30, 50 Us dollars, second plus is for many new blacksmith's, bladesmiths, it great hammer control practice
Nice work, especially for only 2 hours. I live right near a patch of rail so I use spikes pretty often. The HC on the back stands for high carbon as I understand it. I'm sure it's not as high quality as tool steel or the like, but it's not a katana. There's also MC and LC for medium and low carbon.
Happy new year!
Thanks for sharing!
I heat treat mine in vegetable oil and temper in oven for hour at 425, get a fine edge and a fine knife. I’ve add Ferrier rasp to them and 1095 but I like them best as is. Thanks for video god bless
Happy New Year sir hope your family doing well nice job
Thank you👍🏻
Good every day knives, nice! Wouldn't shave with one though :) Have a good one, Gary. Take care mate.
Thanks, you too!
Nice work sir! Now your ready for Forged in Fire 🔥! Haha
haha! I really should watch that one day and see what it’s all about!
Great work
New subscriber
Cheers
glad to have you along!
This is awesome I’d like to try forging
Same dude, same. I would love to do this stuff, but I just don’t have an area to do it nor the money.
Don't know about the UK, but here in the US, RR spikes come in two flavours. Regular and high carbon. If there is an HC on the head then you have the better quality for knife making. The regular was used on straight tracks and the HC on the curves.
Well these came from the us and if you watch the video you will see what is on the head!
Your spike was marked HC - making it the equivalent of 1045. It'll hold a edge somewhat and is tough.
Make couple of hori hori for you and your missus. Get some use when the weather turns.
That’s not a bad idea! Thanks
That hc on the head means high carbon....this spike is good knife steel...you should temper.
It's high carbon when it comes to railroad spike applications but not high carbon when it comes to knives from what I've heard
HC means "higher carbon" not high carbon.
Nice. How about a farriers rasp tomahawk. Thanks.
It should be a little more refined as a blade... But it's good first try!! Very beautifull!
I've made spike knives out of spikes that had HC stamped on their heads and quenched them in water and they're got hard enough my good files skate on them.
Keith, I have too but you can’t tell these armchair “experts”! 🤣🤣🤣
Love the British slang on this as opposed to american. "Give it the beans" or "I'm really hitting it" instead of "I'm really beating the fuck out of it" and "im going to have to give it a think" instead of "I've got to figure out how I'm going to fix this piece of shit." 🤣
someone correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't "high carbon" for a railroad spike something equivalent to about 1030 steel? better than mild steel at 1018, but still less than a desirable 1040 for tools and axes and 1080+ for slicing blades.
regardless, it looks great. i've been working on the same thing as practice blades and gifts.
Yes they aren't good for working blades, what they are good for are novelty items, which folks will buy , secondly they work great for hammer control practice, muscle memory, grinding practice and so on
Pretty close, it usually has a little added Cu which can cause it to do some interesting things. It is barely better than 1018, but is perfectly fine for a work if art.
Enjoyed the video Gary, looking to buy an anvil for the new workshop, (despite the channel name I'm not a blacksmith), would rounded edges or an uneven face bother you when buying an anvil, or to what extent would it become a problem? Cheers
One edge should be rounded. I wouldn't buy an uneven one, it's so difficult to get stuff level. Not so much of a problem when blacksmithing but no good for shoe making. If it's not too bad and cheap enough you could get it re-ground.
@@garyhuston thanks Gary, anvils are expensive and a lot look good for nothing else other than garden ornaments.
Where did you get your GH stamp? I would love to get one of those. Thanks. Frank
Funnily enough i have just ordered another one from him. It’s Roger Hampson. His temporary email address is engravingstudio0@gmail.com
Top demais
Tomahawk axe are easy to make with railroad spikes.
Great job, how's the best way to get a sharp edge on these
The same way you would put an edge on any knife only it wont last as the steel is low carbon.
@@garyhuston thanks I appreciate it.
I have not made anything out of railroad spikes. I have a bunch just laying around. I will give it a try soon. Doctors have kept me out of my shop for a little over a year. Now they are telling me to go for it..
I have a question, ever so often when I'm attempting to make a railroad spike knife the metal tends to crack, what factors can cause this?
Poor quality spike or working it too cold would be my first thoughts.
@@garyhuston thanks, i think its the spikes. im just gathering what i find near a railroad track. I only work the metal when it's orange or hotter.
Did you made the railroad spike knife looks like a miniature chef's knife? Or did you buy it from someone or somewhere?
I don’t understand the question, didn’t you watch the video?
I had one that got so hard my 65 hrc file couldn’t dig into it
what was that tool at 5:46?
ua-cam.com/play/PL-t-SRc_IGRFGn1zn-EppaxfQ2lSqHm-i.html
where can i get those tongs??
Same place i did, make them!
If you would add chisel cuts 90 degree to the to the one that is already there you will create what some call alligator skin handle
I know I have already done a video on it. ua-cam.com/video/bm2l6R5t4lc/v-deo.html
Regular coal fire ?
Coke.
You do have “high carbon” spikes there. They have the HC stamped on the end. That being said that’s not high carbon steel.
I believe the better term would be higher carbon. It is just a medium carbon steel, high carbon starts at .60 carbon to get hard enough to hold an edge at around 58 hardness.
High carbon railroad spikes only have 40-45 point of carbon, while high carbon knife steel has over 100.
Where can I buy one?
I guess you will just have to search the internet, I’m sure someone will be selling them.
@@garyhuston I meant one of yours!
You can’t, I don’t sell any.
Shouldn't the other side of the knife also have a bevel?
There are many styles of tanto blades, all of the ones I have seen are single sided. I’m told the US prefer them that way although some people like the double bevel. In short, there are no hard and fast rules about it.
@@garyhuston the photos I saw only showed one side of the blade. I've never watched videos where this type of blade is made because they aren't my cup of tea, so I am ignorant of the different styles of blade. Thanks for the info!
I didn’t know either! I only found out with the help of my friend google!
very nice do you sell them i live in the usa keep up the good work bob here see ya
Sorry Bob I don't sell any knives, too mant hoops to jump through over here!
How I will buy in india these knife
You won’t!
@@garyhuston yes in india
I don’t sell them so you will need to make them yourself!
Plenty of these style knives are made in Pakistan, I am sure you could probably have one shipped over.
I wonder where he's from
Who?
First
I will trade you 10 railroad spikes for your anvil...
I'll do 11 railroad spikes and a sandwich.
@@MadebyKourmoulis I would do 12 spikes, a sandwich, and a beer.
@@garethbaus5471 and a partridge in a pear tree 🌲🌲
@@rorinthelarpdad120 lol.
Railroad spikes don't make good knives carbon points are too low make a striking tool
Who gives a shit!🤣🤣
well, okay. Still stolen.
WHAT?!
That don’t look very good.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
They're literally some of the better ones out there