gaalamosmithing Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Hello all Alamosmithing here and i would like to tell you about something my mother wants me to do for a friend of hers. Her friends son has Leukemia and he is 15, he is also into knifes and swords and stuff of that nature so i am going to make him a RR knife which i have made a few (not a well as i could have) so my friend and i after school today went walking to the town court house (to see his grandpa whose a judge) and part of the walk is on rail road tracks and i always comb the ground for fallen out spikes and to my surprise and great excitement on of the larger spikes (used at the track intersections) was on the ground and i have decided to use it to make the knife as they are much nicer. pic of the spike next to a normal one.http://i.imgur.com/dvM29.jpg Tim P.S. i know its illegal to pick up spikes but the train only run through our town like once a week and the rail crews don't care as long as we only take the old fallen out ones. so yep tell me what you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I was once advised to give items to the kid's parent so that the parent can give the items to their child. That way the parent is handing the sharp object to the child. .... Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I think you stole the RR spike and that you did not pay attention to the laws any more than to where you were posting. I will relocated it to where it belongs. It does not matter if local workers care or not, its still a federal offense, and NSA can nail you as well. It is not advisable to encourage others to steal either. Nor is it legal or a good idea to give children weapons. Give it to the parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 the parent knows and it wont be sharp as its a rr spike and they dont hold very good edges and i did not encourage anyone to go break the law. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Nor is it legal or a good idea to give children weapons. Give it to the parent. also it wont be given to the "Child" (young adult!) because it is a surprise that will be handled by the parent who thinks its a awesome gift as he collects knifes and also has to sterilize any thing entering their house because of the Leukemia. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerwald Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 My son went through two rounds of cancer. 1st when he was 2 1/2 and then again when 5. There are better ways to access $$. Many organizations are looking to give money away for childhood cancer fighters. Knife making seems like a slow way to get any ground when 1 chemo treatment can cost 3k. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Its not for money it is as a gift to the guy with the cancer (he is 15). Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 also it wont be given to the "Child" (young adult!) because it is a surprise that will be handled by the parent.... It is a policy when dealing with any minors, as he is under 18. I am not a lawyer but I have been advised by blacksmiths wiser than myself that they always hand the knife or other object, even a balloon, to the parent for liability reasons. ... just trying to be neighborly with advice, not trying to be critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I like the idea of a gift for the kid, but around Indiana courts a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. I understand your feelings from information you have given, I see that you are not much older if at all, its nothing personal, its the law, and we have to watch our backs. This past year a few insurance companies dropped coverage of smiths that make any blades because of "weapons" issues these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 Thanks for the info and legally i will be giving the blade to his mother for her to handle the process and yea Steve i am 15 also and i actually don't make many blades i'm normally on coat hooks and candle holders and mostly stuff to mount on the wall i know in not to long i will be making a *purely decorative sword* that will be rounded out and i will want to mount it on my bedroom wall. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannaforge Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Tim, its a nice thing your doing. I think everyone here thinks it nice, however you will find out as you get older(not condesending) that the world is ruled by law, and lawyers and naysayers. I think everyone here just wants you to watch your back and stay safe and outta trouble. Mr. Steve Sells post kinda points that out. Be careful okay amigo, it's nice to see teenagers that care about others as you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 One basic rule of the internet is to never post anything that you would not be willing to tell a policeman or DA that has a grudge against you. I commend you for your thoughtfulness though; as it's a gift that that person will probably be very happy to get. One of the tough parts of growing up is learning to deal with things you want to tell but shouldn't and things you don't want to tell but should! Think of how the replies might have differed if you merely stated you had obtained a larger sized RR spike and were going to make the knife for his mother to give to him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Chambers Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Bah I think we should all lighten up on the guy, sure a lot of us are bogged down with laws and regulations and while its all good advice, I think he gets the point. Good on ya bud for your goal and as a bonus you just learned what not to say on this particular forum lol! +1 Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerwald Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Sorry about the confusion there. I say brighten his spirit and give him a knife. Fear is stopping to many of us from doing what what we know is good and right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Great Idea for a gift, hope it will bring a smile to his face ! Make sure you show some pics when its done. As to some of the other comments in this thread, perhaps one reminder that removing a small piece of basically industrial waste without permission is enough, perhaps one suggestion to give the knife with the receipients parents permission is enough. Dont suck all of the joy out of a lovely gesture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 i after school today went walking to the town court house and part of the walk is on rail road tracks. A lot of good advice has been posted in the hopes of keeping you, and your family out of trouble and the courts. I am told by those that should know that walking on the tracks is trespassing and picking up anything on the RR Right-of-Way is theft. RR police have great authority and use it. I commend your efforts to support your friend, but respectfully suggest you consider the advice given. Your location and enforcement of laws is different from the other 49 states (USA) and or 150 or so world wide countries that view IForgeIron. We try to err on the side of keeping you safe but the final decision and responsibility that comes with that decision is always yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangerdave Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I did not know it was illegal to pick up anything on the RR tracks. That being said and obviously a fact... where do all the RR spikes everyone makes things from actually come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 you can order new ones but there pretty pricey i obviously am a horrible person for stealing them as that is the general opinion on the form Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 you can order new ones but there pretty pricey i obviously am a horrible person for stealing them as that is the general opinion on the form TimNaw, we just want to make sure everyone is aware and that we give correct information. After that, we don't care or judge what you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 They have been sold here at IFI, for $1 per RR spike, Also McMaster Carr has them as a few other places for legal spikes. Likely they are the same places the RR gets theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerwald Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I buy them from the scrap yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I was at the Scrap yard on Saturday and they had 5 gallon buckets of spikes, bolts and clips. Not the way the RR sells the stuff so I guess the local scrappers are picking the tracks clean and once they head out for China there won't be many around locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCornett Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Not only do some go to local scrap yards but also there are companies that all they do is salvage RR scrap. Here in Joplin they are right at a major conjunction of tracks. All of it is at scrap prices so you might look for those places. Looking forward to seeing the pics of your project. Any ideas on what style of knife you are going to make? Skinner, kitchen, dagger, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaalamosmithing Posted December 13, 2011 Author Share Posted December 13, 2011 Most likely just a simple one as it is more of a i have a rail road spike knife thing than a i have a really useful tool as this is because rr spikes don't really hold a blade as well as i would like or at least mine don't. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernforge Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 .....because rr spikes don't really hold a blade as well as i would like or at least mine don't...Tim As mentioned by others on this forum, railroad spikes don't have enough carbon to hold a good edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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