So I just got my forge set up last weekend. I use a bucket forge with some 50/50 plaster of paris and sand as a lining, and a hairdryer as an air source. I picked up some charcoal and set to forging. I found a railroad spike randomly and decided i might as well whack at that. I'm using a large hunk of cylindrical steel, (i can barely lift it so its heavy enough) for an anvil. I've watched quite a bit of videos on railroad spike knives and i thought i might as well try it out. A couple hours passed and i finished the forging. I did a little bit of grinding and this is what I've got.

After reading a few of the posts here everyone says its a waste of time finishing these, and i shouldn't have bothered making one so early into my experience. I am very tempted to finish it, because i think it came out pretty good and its the first thing i made. I'm wondering whether i should, or if you guys have any other advice on what i should do instead. I'm still brand new to these forums, so i apologize if this is in the wrong place.  But thanks for any and all suggestions.. 

Welcome aboard your nebulous darkness glad to have you. That isn't bad for a blade-like object and pretty darned good for a couple hours and REALLY GOOD for your first lash at the anvil. I'd finish it. Sure it won't make a good knife, not enough carbon to hold an edge but it'll make a dandy letter opener.

More importantly it's your first project and you need to keep it so you can look back on it as time passes gauge  your progress.

Well done.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks Frosty. I was feeling the same way on the whole fact its the first thing I've made, I would really like to finish it. Thanks for the advice. Any recommendations for any other beginner projects. I read people recommending hooks and s hooks an scrolls. Because im still very new, what exactly are those?

A variety of hooks and small things I did as demos at the Grange Fair this past summer. Almost any of these would make good simple starter projects.

 

 

Thanks! This should keep me busy for a while.

Nebulah

Hooks and things are made so you can learn Hammer Control. Make lots and you will understand why. You can be as creative as your mind and tooling will allow. Keep the first bunch you make, put them in a shoe box or something. Look at them every few years, so you can figure out how far you have come. Take care with the finer points, don't make any sharp edges or corners, make them pass the "Braille Test" (close your eyes, what do they feel like? NO sharp edges or corners). make both ends of the "S" Hooks the same. Make them eye appealling!! Finish them with a finish, Floor wax works great when applied warm (not HOT).

Enjoy the Journey, You will find the most critical Judge you will come across, Standing in your Shoes!!

Neil

Just from the standpoint of "Character Building", and "Work Ethic" ... ALWAYS finish what you start.

( OK, ... perhaps there's a bit of a "slippery slope" between diligent Craftsmanship, ... and  "OCD" ..... but, given the risks involved, ... which side do you favor ?  )

 

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Doing S-hook after S-hook teaches hammer control and lots about technique.  You don't want to end up as a person specializing in making one type of item like hammer heads or knives but unable to do a simple straightening of a pair of tongs..... Yes, last week I helped someone making a hammer-head realign the jaws on a pair of tongs that he was struggling unsuccessfully with. 

This is the stuff you should be doing:

 

https://www.abana.org/resources/chf.shtml

Scroll down for PDF documents detailing basic blacksmithing skills.  There is more to the craft than just heating up a piece of steel and smashing it flat.  Learn this stuff and you will be well on your way to becoming a blacksmith.

That looks awesome for a first attempt! I'd clean it up a bit and maybe try a simple twist on the handle. Look around the forum, and search for twists.

Blacksmithing is a lot of fun, but don't stress yourself out. If a project seems to be giving you trouble take a break. I sometimes work a project to death before i decide to put it on hold for awhile and do some hooks or something so my day doesn't end on a sour note!
I'm my own worse critic. I've had people take things from the scrap bin and ask for them, things I thought were horrible. I must have made a dozen heart objects before I relaxed enough to know both sides will never be exactly the same. (for me at least!) but people liked them anyway.

(My OCD still bothers me about it at times!)

 

Have fun!

Thanks for all the help guys.

That looks good for your start I would finish it for sure... Spikes don't harden up the best but it will still harden a bit and it will be good practice for heat treating . And in 10 years you can compare your knives with that and see how far you've come.

Would it be worth heat treating it? And if I do heat treat it, when in the process do i do that? Before or after sharpening?

Would it be worth heat treating it? And if I do heat treat it, when in the process do i do that? Before or after sharpening?

It won't harden up like 1095 or tool streel or anything but you should be able to harden it up a bit. You can cut the plunge lines toward the handle with a file and I use a disc sander, but a grinder belt or disc sander/grinder hand file will work , don't take it to sharp leave a bit of a flat on the blade edge this will help prevent warping when you quench , bring to it up til a magnet won't stick anymore give it a few to make sure it heats even then quench I use warm veggie oil . Can temper in oven 325-375 for an hour cover it up if u can to help with temp fluctuation from the heat source. Then finish grinding/ sharpening.  I am no expert but this is what has worked for me so far there's much better ways but it should get u goin .

1st. reply disappeared. . . AGAIN!

No, RR spike steel is carefully formulated to NOT harden. Hard spikes are a B-A-D thing, think hard spikes snapping and rails moving as a train rolls over. Even super quench or other fast chills won't do more than make it a LITTLE stiffer, not harder.

Frosty The Lucky.

1st. reply disappeared. . . AGAIN!

No, RR spike steel is carefully formulated to NOT harden. Hard spikes are a B-A-D thing, think hard spikes snapping and rails moving as a train rolls over. Even super quench or other fast chills won't do more than make it a LITTLE stiffer, not harder.

Frosty The Lucky.

well ya learn somethin new everyday... Did not know that don't use many spikes, but that would make sense.  

Yeah, it happens to us all if we're lucky. It's a sad day when a boy doesn't learn something. this boy anyway.

Frosty The Lucky.

I would finish the spike knife.  The object may not function well as a knife but you will learn from trying to make it do so.  I would go back and make some J-hooks and S-hooks using the horn of the anvil to form the hooks trying to leave as few hammer marks as you can.  Just that simple task helped me understand that every part of an anvil has a specific purpose and some have many.  Give the S hooks away to the females in you neighborhood they love them for hanging flower pots and stuff and it will ease their aversion to the sounds of steel being hammered in the neighborhood.

I, too, am a forging green pea, and I would definitely finish it.  If nothing else, it's good to time capsule your early work.  RR spikes aren't made to be able to shave with, but the convenience is that if you want to make a knife that doesn't require the extra step of making a handle, they're pretty convenient.  You can add a twist (or a couple) , wrap the handle, or even pound out the head and work the metal in the other direction.  Get creative, and don't worry about making anything special.  Spikes are cheap, and I end up recycling most of mine as "learning experiences."  When I make something really notable, I keep it.