Phat_kash Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi, I am new to forging and I need some tips for forging railroad spikes. I have a couple that I would like to make into knives. Is a wood fueled forge hot enough for railroad spikes or do I need to use a propane fueled forge? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleb Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 You will be able to get up to a forging heat with a wood/ charcoal forge. It will get up to the same temperature as let's say a coal forge, but will just consume more fuel and technique is necessary for conserving fuel. Kaleb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 A charcoal forge will get plenty hot to forge with if you have it set up correctly. ( burning wood for fuel, you are actually using the charcoal/ coals produced by the burning wood to forge with) There is a lot of information here for you to read through. Both on forges and rail spike knives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 There are many, many threads on IFI that discuss different kinds of forges (solid fuel and gas), as well as the suitability (or lack thereof) of RR spikes for knives. Please take the time to read that material carefully; you will find either that most basic questions have been answered already (many, many times), or you will be in a much better position to ask informed questions that will not draw the wrath of the resident curmudgeons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 cue impending wrath!.......Charcoal has been used for smithing for over 3000 years; I do not believe it will suddenly stop. (now this is real "lump" charcoal and not briquettes. Burning wood you are just converting it to charcoal and using that. Much like coal turns to coke and it's the coke we forge with in a coal forge.) Also you do know that RR spikes are NOT a good alloy for knives, right? Shoot even a standard coil spring from an automobile has about *twice* the carbon content as a RR spike! If you are near to either of my locations give a shout and I can help you get started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Beagle Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 I've been making a lot of rail road spike knives lately, I'm also playing with the ideal of putting turquoise stones off inside them as well In this picture I just glued em on and it kind of looks like crap But yeah I use wood,charcoal and regular coal and all three work fine in fact you really have to watch it because if left too long in the fire it will quickly burn the steel up real fast and that's a problem with the thinner tip. For tempering I've been heating them up to where they are non magnetic and then quenching in oil and most the time I'll do a file check and while most pass the test some don't harden enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 How do they do on the ABS journeyman test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Beagle Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Not sure what that is so I wouldn't know. But I agree that a coil spring is much better material for a knife. In fact I'm gonna make some chisels out of a coil spring here in a few days. I see the rail road spike as an ornament knife. Cool as a conversation piece but not my first choice as a camping knife.That said I am able to get a razor sharp edge on these knifes. Just how long would it keep an edge is the question. If you wanted to improve It I'd say forge weld a piece of carbon steel in the blade section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Hello: These RR spikes make OK knives IF they are made from the right spikes and you know how to do he correct thermal treatment...even then..they are just OK.... Wrote this a little while back....may behoove you to take a look.. hope the link works...if it doesn't, look in the knifemaking section it's in there.. I sell these things by the dozens... Hope this helps... JPH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Fred; A.G.Russell once took an Aluminium beer can flattened it, folded it in two and flattened it again and then honed it till it would shave hair. Not such a very good reference point; which is why the ABS Journeyman test has you use it and then show that it still shaves hair. I still consider the RR spike knife a "one trick pony" sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Beagle Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 ah their popular for sure. I guess if you can sell it then that's what really matters. But I'd have a problem with selling them then having customers come back complaining about it not holding an edge. That's kind of why I'm reluctant to starting putting these things up on Ebay. One thing that's kind of difficult for me to do is I'm wanting to make small tommy hawks and on an Bill Epps webpage he talks about upsetting the spikes down to 1" diameter and 3" inches to length before he punches the eyehole for the handle. But one thing when I try this the spike wants to get all squirrelly bend to one side. I'm making a heavy duty jig to help hold them into alignment but yeah you really have to cook these babies to get them to do the wild thing,Because hammering em when their only red hot ain't gonna cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanternnate Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 For upsetting them for hawks my advice is: Get it hot, all the way through hot because a cold core will mess you up. Try to keep the blows as square on as you can. Hit it good and hard, tappity tap doesn't cut it. Correct the squirreling when it starts. If you let it get real bent it will keep wanting to go that way so when it starts to bend out flip on side and straighten. You can also rotate the spike so you aren't always hitting the same way (compensates a bit for blows really not being perfectly square on). The occasional flip and hit from the other side can help sometimes to. Mostly hit it hot and hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemson tiger Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 On June 15, 2017 at 1:14 PM, Fred Beagle said: Not sure what that is so I wouldn't know. But I agree that a coil spring is much better material for a knife. In fact I'm gonna make some chisels out of a coil spring here in a few days. I see the rail road spike as an ornament knife. Cool as a conversation piece but not my first choice as a camping knife.That said I am able to get a razor sharp edge on these knifes. Just how long would it keep an edge is the question. If you wanted to improve It I'd say forge weld a piece of carbon steel in the blade section. You don't know what that is?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 It depends a lot on who you sell to; most "urbanites or suburbanites" will never need a blade that will take a lot of abuse---look at the popularity of so many wallhanger blades! Now if you are selling to Farmers, Ranchers, Hunting and Fishing Guides and Folks going into various "Theaters" (and I DON'T mean watching a play or movie!) Then having one come back and tell you that your blade excelled and now all their friends and "coworkers" are wanting to pound on your door yelling "Shut up and take my money!" Out where I am at I bet there is a market for "mini-froes" for spitting kindling for woodstoves and those would work well with RR spikes as froes were often mild steel or even wrought iron traditionally and do not have to have a very sharp edge---in fact a very sharp edge is contraindicated if you want to follow the grain of the wood when splitting instead of cutting it when it changes direction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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