Subject: Re: railroad spikes

From: [email-masked] (George Carpenter)
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 18:27:44 -0500

Im not encouraging anything here, but if casual jaunt down an old railroad
track..... I leave the rest to your imagination. BTW--you can easily fit 3
spikes in a hip pocket.

>> I'm going to quench one this weekend and see just how well a fully
>> hardened spike breaks.  It's a good test of a steel's sutiblity for
>> edged tools.
>
>How uniform are these critters?  Would they make a good 'lab rat'?  Cost &
>availability is an issue as well.  I kinda doubt the vendors are
>accustomed to someone wanting ~10 units.  
> 
>
>
>
George I. Carpenter III

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From: "Albin F. Drzewianowski" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 1996 12:47:50 -0400 (EDT)

A word of waning!!

Lately I have been hearing that the authorities are paying very close 
attention to anyone seen on or near working railroad lines.  If my memory 
serves me, there was a train derailment in the SouthWest which is 
attributed to sabotage of the tracks.  So scavenging along a working 
railroad line might get you a "close encounter of the worst kind" with 
local and federal authorities.   They will probably take a dim view of 
your excuse that you are a blacksmith and you were only looking for 
dislodged/loose railroad spikes or scrap pieces of rail. 

If the track is no longer in use, than it might be a different story, but
in any case I would be very careful about beeing seen along any railroad 
lines.  

Albin Drzewianowski
Editor, Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland
Westminster, MD

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From: Tom Vincent <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 10:11:52 -0500 (CDT)

If its of real concern in your area, we have a slightly different source. 
We use lag bolts for a few of our more esoteric tools, they are the 
special spikes that hold the ties in place as the track crosses an 
asphalt road. They have large heads on them and are pretty long, so are 
handy when you need a long punch or chisel that you have to hit pretty 
hard. Since they are not real common here, we went to the RR division 
that is in charge of line repairs and talked them into letting us pick 
through their scrap yard. After they repair a section of line, they haul 
ALL the stuff back to their yard and sell it to scrap dealers. Lots o 
spikes, not all bad, and no hassles with walking along the tracks. Tom

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From: George Ezell <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1996 00:04:56 -0500

Thanks for the idea Tom....sounds like a good source.
George

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From: Jim McCarty <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 1996 15:59:34 -0500

> George I. Carpenter III

If you find a place where they are putting in new rail you will always 
find old spikes free for the taking (Dohn't ask, don't tell). You will 
also find full cans of new spikes that they throw off from work trains 
to be installed later. They always manage to throw one of these down a 
steep bank where it is impossible for the track crews to retrieve it 
(these full cans have no handles and probably weight 300 pounds). I 
let them lay for 6 months or so and then go retrieve them.

Having said that, I far prefer the low carbon spikes which have an M 
on them, I think it stands for Mild Steel?? The new ones are put in 
with a machine and must be high carbon or the get squashed instead of 
driven in. If you forge a mild one and hten get one with HC stamped on 
the head you will see why I like the old low carbon spikes better.

Of course if you are making knives that are going to be used you need 
the high carbon ones and a bigger hammer.

My brother uses so many railroad spikes that he contacted a supplier 
to find out what they were made of. He talked to someone at J&J Rail 
Sales Co. who gave him a contact at Spike INdustries in Youngstown, 
Ohio. Here's what they told him:
They come in either high or low carbon steel. The low carbon is A-36 
steel or a c1011 to C1017 steel. They range from .11 to .19 carbon.

The high carbon spikes are marked HC on the heqd along with a 
manufacturers mark. Spike Industries uses an X for their mark. The 
steel in these must have at least .30 carbon. The amount varies 
according to the customer's specs. Spike's standard is a C1035 steel 
with.35 carbon. It is a water hardening steel.

The standard size is 5/8 inch sq. by 6 inches long. They also make a 
9/16 sq. by 5 1/2 inch long.

They offered to ship Pat 100 spikes in trade for a couple of finished 
knives but Pat wasn't interested. Too easy to pick them up on the old 
Frisco bed near home...

-- 
Jim McCarty
Father Helias Forge
Taos, MO
Editor Rural Missouri Magazine
Newsletter editor, Blacksmiths Association of Missouri

³Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds³

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From: David Wilson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 08:29:21 -0600

>> track..... I leave the rest to your imagination. BTW--you can easily fit 3

Speaking of Railroads,the Texas State Railroad is a wonderful vacation
spot. It's near Palestine.

I use a railroad spike for my No.1 nailset, can't miss! A store bought
nailset is my No. 0000 size. Also the No.1 grit sandpaper is, guess what? A
medium sized rock. I'm not exactly the nuckle dragging type, but railroad
spikes are a handy thing to have around. Like a No.1 "tuit".

David
http://www.flash.net/~dwwilson/
[email-masked]