I'm still amazed at the interest in things made from RR spikes. I am pleased with the tool funds they bring in . Here's one I did Saturday with a hickory handle. Not fancy--just functional.

nice hawk...and rifle! :)

Nice job!.... BTW.... where did you get the flintlock? (All percussion down here, driving me crazy... okay, crazier....)

just wondering what you sell your spike hawks for... ive made a few over the years and made a few for this season ...i was figureing 45.00 ..yours is nicer than i usually finish mine so...

That is a nice piece of work. Hawks are my favorite edged objects. Thanks for sharing.

Nice hawk and Flintlock

My hawks start at $40 with the hickory handle--plain. Polishing--piercing--engraving can run them up to over a hundred. I built the rifle several years ago when I was a partner in a buckskinning shop. It's a .50 cal green mountain barrel--Siler lock--homemade single set trigger and all the trimmings, carved and engraved with silver wire inlay in the maple stock. I estimated the building time of the parts and carving/finishing the stock at about 500 hours.

wOW Jerry , nice flintlock!! and the hawk is verry nice to! good work!
to bad we can't get those rr spikes around here (the ones they use here are way to soft for something like that)

Really, really nice. Both of them!

Johannes, pre-1850 RRspikes are wrought iron, and the RRspikes used in turns are 1030/1020 So that might be your problem.

PS- Nice hawk!

RR spikes are low C intended for resilience. If you actually want one to hold an edge you have to weld in a bit.

Just like the old days.

Frosty

As has been mentioned "High Carbon" railroad spikes are really at the bottom end of the range for medium carbon steel. Often they get quenched in super-quench an extremely *fast* quenchant that will shatter high carbon steel if it's quenched in it.

But if you have a *strong* hankering to try this out let us know and I can try to send you a box of HC spikes by mail for the cost of the postage.

How many can you fit in a flat rate box?

Jerry, that hawk looks 'keen as a briar'(as in sharp!)
Mighty nice lookin' rifle too.....
Is the stump in the pic as large as it looks to be?!?

Jayco, yeah! That was a huge maple about 20 feet from the kitchen window that got the blight that killed a lot of trees here. It was heart breaking to lose. The stump is about 3' across.

mind you guys i'm in belgium, so they probebly use some diferent grade for rr-spikes.. not sure thow, and sending them over here would be a bit expensive i gues, but thanks for the offer!, I'm curently experementing with old cutting blades from thermoplastic molding frames (i work for a thermo forming compagny, so we have allot of the stuff), their to thin for most purpousses, but when my new forge is finished I'mgonna try making a billed out of them.
if i find a good one, I'l do some tests on a local rr-spike, so we can compare.
sad to hear about the tree.. it always hurts me to when one of those of natures wonders has to be put down.., but its nice to see that you kept some of it and put it to good use!

I know you are in Belgium and that there is a 20# limit for flat rate boxes for international shipping. I just wish I could ask my boss from Germany who will be here next week to bring a box back to send you but I don't think she would like that! (The project we are working on is building in Chile!)