Faber Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I found a guy selling about 40 of them for $2.00 each, is that a good deal or should I talk him down. Thnx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neg Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 $2 each is about what you cand find them for in the antique stores around here. Buying them in larger quantities like that I wouldn't pay more than .75 per spike. Heck, they're less than a dollar a piece on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorisTheSpider Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 There is the old adage that an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. They can certainly be had for less, and I would indeed try to talk the guy down when you're talking about a quantity like that. Another old adage is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. $2 each isn't ludicrous, and they're right there, available to you. You don't have to track them down or pay shipping. The last consideration is what you're using them for. If you're selling them for $20+ and each item only takes a few minutes to create, $2 each doesn't seem bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale M. Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Check e-bray... One selle has 120 for $85 and another 100 for $55..... If you only need a few take walk along some railroad right of way... BE COOL.... IT may be considered trespass and theft if you are on railroad property with spikes in your possession.... And be careful trains are actually QUIET as they approach, stay clear of tracks.... Dale IFI does not condone theft. do NOT steal them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Find out if there's a local railyard nearby. I live near one, but searched online and found someone in charge to email. When I asked explained what I was doing and asked if they had a piece of RR track I could buy, they gave me a section for free, as well as a ton of spikes. Later I made them a couple of bottle openers and took a cold six pack of beer to say thanks. And yes, they gave me more spikes that time as well. FYI, I keep the email as a record, just in case the question ever comes up. The spikes make cool novelty items, but also see if you can get some of the spring clips as supposedly these are 1095. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 http://www.mcmaster.com/#railroad-spikes/=mqyhpk McMaster carr has them for $10/5 ($2/spike) Bring this up with him if he wont budge on price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crij Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Bauce, IIRC there is an operating railroad museum not too far from you. I am sure if you go there and ask if they had any scrap spikes (ones that had become twisted or distorted when pulled) they will sell them to you for a donation. Rich C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 If you spot a RR crew, just ask the guys, it just might save them from having to carry a heavy old bucket of spikes to the scrap pile. The ubiquitous box of donuts and fresh coffee will, once again, work wonders. Heck, you might not be driving a heavy enough rig to haul the loot. I just stopped to shoot the bull with a crew and they wanted to load my truck with probably 2 tons of rr rail, plates, spikes, bolts and all kinds of oddments. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullSmokingBar Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 I found a spot where there was a huge pile of cross ties. What had happened was they had made a bunch of repairs to the track. There were spikes lying all over the ground. I filled up a 5 gallon bucket in about 5 minutes. The stuff is out there. WARNING in the USA this is a federal offense. IFI does not condone stealing from rail roads, nor is it advised that one makes a public confession about the crime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 RR spikes are a good thing to learn forging on...but then so is mild steel Any scrap steel at a good material to learn a lot from. Start with a large pile of metal and forge a large pile of smaller metal. A common thought when new smiths think of RR spikes is making knives,,,they are not the right material for that....they do not have enouigh carbon for blades. A lot of new smiths are limited on kinds and styles of tongs. Spikes are usually forged easier if they are held in tongs that grab the head correctly and the held on other end with another set of tongs that do well for that end. And if yoiu have a welder you can weld a handle to either end and cut it off after forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullSmokingBar Posted May 15, 2013 Share Posted May 15, 2013 I found a spot where there was a huge pile of cross ties. What had happened was they had made a bunch of repairs to the track. There were spikes lying all over the ground. I filled up a 5 gallon bucket in about 5 minutes. The stuff is out there. WARNING in the USA this is a federal offense. IFI does not condone stealing from rail roads, nor is it advised that one makes a public confession about the crime Ok let me be more clear. I saw the pile of ties, that's what caught my eye. The guys that repaired the track said the spikes that were lying all over the ground were being discarded. I didn't steal anything, nor am I admitting to a crime on a public forum. Thank you though for pointing out my lack of being thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken G Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I parked very close to a RR track a couple of weeks ago. As I walked near to the track, I noticed several dozen spikes laying on the ground. I could have picked them all up in just a few minutes but they were rather rusty and some were bent leading me to believe the RR was planning on coming back to get them. :D $2.00 seems high to me but then again I like to take walks from time to time. If I lived in the city and didn't have a good place to walk, $2.00 might be ok. Cheers, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Anything you buy on Ebay, will incurr Shipping costs. I'd use Ebay prices as a negotiating tool, ... to try to get a better deal, ... and I'd ask if the seller had a bill of sale from the RR. :mellow: That ought to help "correct" the price, ... but, bottom line, ... saving the Shipping, by buying local, is worth a lot ..... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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