saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I read the bp on it, anneal twice, bring to heat and leave in forge overnight. Well that the way I remember it anyway. I was wondering why they need more special attention than say 95 point straight carbon steel? 2. I was also thinkning that at 19 degrees out the forge kind of cools pretty quickly overnight, and might it be better to put it in the woodstovefireplace over night as it would cool very slowly over a 8 or ten hour period. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easilyconfused Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 There is nothing wrong with letting any steel cool in the fire overnight. I'm not a metalurgist for the specifics, but I the slower it cools down, the better it is annealed, particularly carbon steels. Railway spikes shouldn't need anyspecial treatment although cooling them slower to anneal them better might be a good thing as, if they are used, they likely have work hardened as opposed to new 1095. I try to work on things that need annealing last and let them cool overnight in the forge fire overnight after I shut down or stick them in a barrel of old wood ash I have kept for that purpose. Sticking it in ash works well too as the ash insulates and I've had things still hot enough to burn 2 days later during the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan B Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 I usually heat a scrap piece and place it in a bucket of sand. Heat the piece I want annealled and burry it in the warm sand over night. The slower the steel cools the better it will anneall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Funk Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 RR spikes are a relatively low carbon steel. Do they need to be annealed? I never have done this Annealing is to make steel dead soft and reduce fracture potential early in the forging phase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainsFire Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 yes, they would need to be annealed.. some are high carbon enough to be hardened, so they would need to be annealed. I just scored a 55gal drum of highcarbon ones.. that was one xxxx of a scrounge.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steponmebbbboom Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 why not just place it in a bucket of vermiculite? available for peanuts at the garden center, insulates better than sand, no preheating necessary. i use it for punches, chisels, hammerheads, anything i need to anneal for grinding/filing before heat treating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 No need to anneal spikes! You anneal proper blade steels like 1095 and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainsFire Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 yeah really, what am I thinking lol.. you're heating them up anyway to hit them right? don't worry about it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 26, 2008 Author Share Posted January 26, 2008 Thanks for the input, I have a bucket of vermiculite but have not put it to much use yet. The warmed sand sounds good also. The high carbon spikes I think were said to be .30 so that is not that much anyway I would not think. I was confused, because of the .95 hay rake teeth. The things I saw on them never mentions a double annealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 No need for double annealing any steel. For scrap steel being used like springs files or hay rake teeth known to be pretty good steel (or a good guess), not already annealed factory bars, anneal first by just heating up until past non magnetic, then stick it in the vermiculite. RR SPIKES there is no need, heat and beat, normalise, harden then temper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 26, 2008 Author Share Posted January 26, 2008 thanks A man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 WE AT THE" HEAT AND BEAT FORGE "WOULD LIKE TO PRO CLAIM A-MAN AS GRAND PUBBA! [w/no money just a whole lotta luv 4 the idea] we = me and cowboy[rottweiler] oh & pesso tucker& BIG'UN.[HORSES] NO I DON'T SHOE THEM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 No problem guys:D. Pete I am honored! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 I guess for hardening, I should go with straw, because of the low carbon content? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Yeah, just barely a straw color is pretty good, use lukewarm water, with maybe a couple handfulls of driveway rock salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 American Railway Engineering Association's Specifications for Soft-Steel Track Spikes. Original document, 1926, revised last in 1968 Two classes of track spikes are given specifications, both low carbon and high carbon. Two sizes of track spike are identified, one of 5/8 inch square shaft and one of 9/16 inch. Page 5-2-3: Specifications for high carbon steel track spikes 1968. Carbon not greater than 0.30%, nor greater than 0.20% copper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 i made up a batch of sperquench, I will give it a go on them. thanks thomas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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