jasonmichalski Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 This is the first thing a made from a RR spike and it was a chrismas preasent for my Dad last year. He has watched them made by smith a few times and has always wanted one, and I made a knife to match. I left it ruff to look more like something the settlers would use. The handle I had around, but the hole in the axe is tapered for a hawk handle, I just run out of time to make one. Thanks for taken a look, He loved them, so I thought I'd share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Well Done keep up the work and spikes are free on the rr tracks forge them they sell . try to learn all you can about steel and making knives ,axes, and forging process good steel makes projects better until you master basic teniques and cost less. I look forward to seeing more of your work , also find a local smith shop Some older /elder folks like to share how to do's as they will give back for the trade they have learned just to keep it alive . Sam in Tennessee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 spikes are free on the rr tracks Sam in TennesseeOOPS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 picken them up as didcarded items Sorry , I DO NOT condone illegal activity ! Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 I get mine at a local scrapyard, let others deal with the possibility of RR cops and TSA! A friend who uses a lot of them actually bought a keg from the same company that supplies them to the Railroads. May I ask the background for: "I left it ruff to look more like something the settlers would use" as I have seen the stuff the settlers used was to a much finer finish level, at least in America. I'm active in medieval smithing and one thing we continually run into is the belief that old items must be crudely made---a real canard as anyone who has seen things like the Sutton Hoo sword fittings can attest! No problem with producing it as *you* like it; it can be a neat look. I just don't think it is "like something the settlers would use". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris john Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Hi Jason , Im sure your dad is very happy with his presant great effot . forge on . Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmichalski Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 We have three old farms on our land, and the frist logging train north stopped here for the winter around 1876 till they build tracks so we have the first train stop and saw mill sites on our land and the things that were build out of need and because there was no town, you just started building it, were ruff and crude, but were build to do the job at hand, they hold a simple beauty of there own, and each craftsman put his own little details in the working tools of there trades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robakyo Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I am curious about the spikes you used to make your knife and axe. Did you find these spikes on your property? WI maybe? Nice job on your forging! Sounds like you've got an awesomely fascinating piece of property for sure. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmichalski Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 I am curious about the spikes you used to make your knife and axe. Did you find these spikes on your property? WI maybe? Nice job on your forging! Sounds like you've got an awesomely fascinating piece of property for sure. Robert Yes I found them along the woods and a ditch by the tracks as I was bird hunting last fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robakyo Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yes I found them along the woods and a ditch by the tracks as I was bird hunting last fall. Have you been able to determine whether they are steel or wrought iron spikes? Do you know when that stretch of track was abandoned? Again, nice job on your axe. Another thing on my to-do list. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonmichalski Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 I have lots of wrought iron from the farm and spikes from narrow guage trackes. The main train line is still in use and most of the nicer spikes are steel. My grandparents land has a old set od narrow guage track that the tracks were removed but they left every thing else and it all wrought iron. for about 1/2 mile. We used to walk the lane and use the spike to climb trees when I was a kid now I go out in the wood to find the old trees for the spikes. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramsies11 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 i agree with thomas here, "rough" isnt really true of any time period, its all depending on getting what you paid for. you paid 10bucks (yes i realise this was a major amount of money back then but i dont remember the calculations, maybe ill ask [insert mods name here] what they paid for an axe when the went west) ive seen axes and hawks and swords that were forged well over 200 years ago and looked better than most machined ones on the market now. its what you pay for. and how quickly it had to be made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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