How To Forge A Knife From A Railroad Spike

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Forge the blade to a point. Just keep looking at it and bringing it back into shape along a center line.

This is a fantastic class for those interested in blade making but not sure where to start.

How to forge a knife from a railroad spike. All tools, raw materials, gloves,. Participants must attend both days to complete a knife. Railroad spike one of a kind forged and hand made.

This is a knife i made recently, a knife out of a railroad spike. Keep an eye on the spine of the knife. The last step is to grind down the blade, and you have a finished railroad spike knife!

Yes, they are new unused spikes, i managed to snag about a dozen of these from a gentleman at the local knife club in exchange for a railroad spike knife, a great deal! The class occurs outdoors in a covered area. Take an ordinary railroad spike and learn how to forge it into a useful, functional knife that will.

And you can see how you have to hammer one side of the knife and then flip the knife over and hammer the other side. We will use the grinder to put an edge on your finished railroad spike knife. To make the knife you need a railroad spike and some standard blacksmithing tools:

Heat the spike and hammer the tapered end of it until flat to create the blade of the knife. The class is free and limited to 6 people. I used an old broken weight as an anvil, vice grips, and a small forge made of bricks.

Then, use a rounding hammer to beat one of the corners on the end of. In this class you will forge a knife from a railroad spike, putting your own twist on the design. We will twist the handle and start drawing out the blade.

Bring your own spike if you’d like. After that forge the spike out into a knife and that will give you a blade with a high carbon center for a cutting edge and the mild steel or low carbon steel on the outside for flexibility. Place one end of the heated steel on an anvil while gripping the other end with forging tongs.

For this class each student will be forging a completed blade from a railroad spike, heat treating it, sharpening it, and finishing it from beginning to end. Bring a lunch or check out one of the local places to eat. There is no such thing as a “high carbon steel” railroad spike, but there is.

But if you're going to do the work to forge a spike into a knife, for a few bucks you could use a real high carbon steel, do. Students should wear comfortable, natural fiber (cotton) clothes they don't mind getting messy, work boots or closed toed shoes and safety glasses. Clean up the edge of the blade with your hammer to refine the shape and create a rounded appearance.

One of a kind forged and hand made. All railroad spike knives are between 8″ to 9″ overall length. Working it will distort it a lot which is ok.

Each attendee needs to register individually and must be at least 18 years old. Bring a lunch and bottled water. Railroad spike knife ~ each knife is an outstanding example of craftsmanship, functionality, and art.

Additional information will be emailed to those who sign up, usually one to two days before the class. An anvil, hammer, tongs, and some wrenches to twist the spike. Come learn how to make a simple knife from a railroad spike!

A belt sander is used to sharpen the blade and put. The unique character qualities of this knife are found in the twisting and forging methods making each piece one. While i can’t argue their edge retention or hardness properties when forged into a knife (in this article), we can easily solve some myths about their carbon content and material composition.

All railroad spike knives are between 8 to 9 overall length handle material: I didn't have any of the correct tools, except for maybe a hammer, so i'm not going to make a full instructable out of it. This will keep it along the center line.

We will be forging a handle and blade to shape, along with profiling the blade and refining the shape. Come forge your very own railroad spike knife. The blacksmithing program is called war horse forge.

Get the tip as long and thin as you like this will require multiple heats in the forge. Here you'll want to draw out tip of the spike for your blade do this by heating it and striking all four sides equally to keep it uniform. Once we have a handle and blade formed we will quench the blade to harden it.

The best way to become good at making a knife, is to start by not making a knife. As most railroad spikes don't have enough carbon in them to fully harden, we will not be doing that in class. Classes will take place at production blacksmithing studio in the north hills of pittsburgh.

Great for all skill levels. This class covers drawing out thicker steel, shaping a blade, the proper way to put a tip on a knife, and hammering in bevels so you don't need as long on the grinder. This would still preserve the complete style of the spike and give you a knife with superior edge holding qualities after it has been properly heat treated.

Daswolf, i'd rather get both that is, quality and quantity! By brandonk42, july 25, 2011 in heat treating knives, blades etc. Tempering a railroad spike tempering a railroad spike.

We will start by firing the coal forge and drawing out the handle with the treadle hammer.

Hand Rebar Knife, Winburn Steel, Mark Winburn