Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

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Luke_of_Mass
Posts: 444
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:36 am

Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Hi all :)

Doing some spring cleaning today and dug out this knife I forged in the late 2000's from a railroad spike. Rail spike knives are a common gimmick piece you can pick up on eBay for around $20; often less than ergonomic, and those who don't lose the spike head suffer from balance issues, and I decided to try and put 'em to shame. Not sure if I 100% accomplished that, but I alleviated the balancing/back weight issue by drawing out the handle and blade sections way further than most amateur blacksmiths do (piece measures in at exactly 11 inches), and I was able to keep the head of the spike without sacrificing as much in the way of how natural it feels in the hand.

Retaining the head was always very important to me because in my opinion, if you do away with the one thing that allows people to identify that it was once a railroad spike, then you might as well be working with ordinary bar stock. While I did make some pieces from bar stock in those days, "found" materials were always my favorite to experiment with.

The poly-cord handle would have been a lot easier if I had a third hand...

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This project was done using a coal forge with a civil war-era crank blower; no gas involved, and I imagine whatever med student winds up getting to dissect my lungs once I'm gone will discover traces of bituminous black lung :P

The bulk of the forging was done with a 1.5lb Swedish-style hammer, with the exception of some parts near the end where I used a flatter and something heavier to make the process go a little faster.

Finishing consisted of WD-40, sandpaper, and time.
Knee-deep in the hoopla...
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whippersnapper
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Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:39 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by whippersnapper »

That looks really good Luke!
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Jackalope
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Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2004 3:13 am

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by Jackalope »

Very nice work.
Tom19176
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Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:23 am

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by Tom19176 »

Nice Luke !
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rock-n-roll$$$$$$
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Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:04 pm

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by rock-n-roll$$$$$$ »

nice to see it,you told me about on our last phone call.
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jim d,
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Location: Mayberry, N.C. / U.S.A.

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by jim d, »

Luke - that is impressive!

Jim
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thom
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Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by thom »

Very nice you should be proud
sammy the blade
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Location: Indiana

Re: Railroad Spike Knife by Yours Truly (2007/2008)

Post by sammy the blade »

Very impressive!
2024 candidate for president
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