Subject: Tools made from rail line.

From: Peter Beky <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 12:52:26 +1000

W Thomas Powers wrote:
>
> I did an ILL and copied the chapter on making specialized triphammer dies
> from trolly rail; but would like the whole shebang.  If anyone has an
> extra copy or knows where one is please contact me at
> [email-masked]

Using rail in making tools is not such a good idea.  The high
percentage of manganese in the rail means that it work hardens.  In
use, tools made from this material tend to chip (not dome & split),
because you are hitting two hardened surfaces together, the hammer
face and the work hardened tool.  Where do the chips fly?... usually
into the softest thing around... you.

When I was doing my training one of my fellow students worked in a
shop where he was using a throwing off tool made from rail, under a
7cwt power hammer.  A sliver from the tool flew off and went into his
eye, and yes he was wearing safety glasses.  Lucky for him the surgeon
saved the eye, but he has the weirdest shaped pupil you ever saw,
square.

If I was making the dies referred to in that book, I would use a
Medium Carbon, in the upper end of the range.  The reason being that
it's cheap, easier to work than rail (forging temperatures not as
critical and it flows better), and it is easier to heat treat.  These
dies will only ever do short production runs, maybe 10-100 units, why
go to all the trouble and expense of making a die out of alloy for
that.  If you only want a few then make them by hand.

Peter.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 17:04:57 -0400

>saved the eye, but he has the weirdest shaped pupil you ever saw,

Thanks for that tip, Peter.   I've used some rail for making bottom swages,
and had considered making some struck tools with it, but I think I'll hold
off on that now.    I've been scared  of flying slivers ever since a
carpenter told about a sliver from his framing hammer face "burning" its way
through two layers of shirt and embedding itself in his chest.

Lee

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 01:15:13 -0400

To All,
The eutectoid composition, .8% carbon is the easiest carbon steel to harden.
The austenitizing temperture, 1500-1600*F is just above where it would lose
its magnetic properties, i.e., 1333*F.  With most other compositions this is
not always true. The annealing temperature is only 1600-1700*F. Tempering
temperatures are the same for any carbon steel. The "Edge of the Anvil" is a
good resource for these tempertures. Be sure that you test the hardenability.
Do the air, oil, water, brine series to check the depth of hrdening. A little
boron goes a long way. A boron bearing rail head will harden all the way
through where a plain carbon steel of the same carbon won't with a brine
quench. Borax has no effect on hardenability as it does not penetrate the
surface.

Bill Hochella

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From: Peter Beky <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 02 May 1996 13:37:05 +1000

All,

a clarification regarding what I wrote...

I should have known better than to believe some of the things that
I was told as an apprentice.  The tool that Dave was using when his
accident happened (the eye) was made from rail.  When we talked about 
it at work one of the old timers said that rail was high in manganese, 
and I believed him.  That is not the case, I stand corrected.  I should 
have checked the chemistry first, so...

I phoned the local steel mill and asked what is the chemical composition 
of rail, and this is what is sold at the moment in Australia:
1.  The weight per length of rail varies between 45-60 kgs/meter.
2.  It comes in either as rolled or head induction hardened form.
3.  The chemical composition by percent is...
          Carbon 0.6-0.87
          Silicon 0.15-0.5
          Manganese 0.7-1.0
          Phosphorus and Sulphur  0.04 Max
          The rest being Iron.

The chemical analysis indicates that rail is suitable for tooling if 
heat treated correctly.  Accidents being accidents who knows what the 
reason was, it certainly was not the type of steel.

The chemical composition puts it in the upper Medium to lower High 
carbon steel range. This would make it suitable for making struck tools,
as Lee wants. Its a Plain Carbon Steel.

If the rail was head induction hardened, then that would explain it
being easier to cut with a saw from the bottom as Frosty wrote, and if
annealed it would be just like butter.

Talking of Hatfield, there is one called Hatfield Special, which is
about 24% Manganese.

Genius in hindsight,
Peter.