#QUENCHING A RAILROAD SPIKE KNIFE CRACK#
Order some 1084 or 80CrV2 in whatever shape you want to start with and quench it in warm canola oil (soapy water will likely crack it). Removes spinal cord from beef halves, with a knife. After all, you don't want half the blade hardened and have the tip bend when you look at it wrong. I made a rail spike into a trowel instead of a knife. A TRACKMAN who delivers spikes to SPIKERS in a railroad tracklaying gang.
Be aware that quenching a high carbon steal in this solution is likely to shatter the blade. 28oz bottle of Dawn blue dish washing detergent. Getting the whole blade evenly heated to critical temperature is the challenge. If you want to have any chance at getting your railroad spike knife up to a reasonable hardness you can try the superquench formula. Table salt has a melting point of 1474 degrees, so when the salt melts, you know you have hit critical temperature.īut as I said, getting the steel to critical temp isn't very difficult. A few seconds longer, or until the steel has shifted color a notch brighter, and you know you have hit critical temperature (approximately 1475).Īnother method you could use to determine the temperature of the steel is to put salt on the blade. When it stops sticking to the magnet, you know you are close. As the steel heats up, touch it to the magnet every few seconds. Even then, it won't be very hard and will probably dent or bend rather than chipping or breaking. Railroad spikes have only a little more carbon than mild steel, so you need the faster quench of water to achieve maximum hardness. Two of us (including me) made railroad spike knives while the other person made a horseshoe. recommended oil for quenching a railroad spike knife.
The HC spikes are spec'd to never exceed the boundary between mild steel and medium steel. The critical temperature of high carbon steel is around 1475. Hank did the finish grinding and put a sharp edge on the knife. Buy quenching in Rob Gunter's 'Super Quench' you can toughen up a HC RR Spike but it's not really in the league of proper knife hardness's in my opinion. It is an interesting property of steel that it ceases to draw a magnet when it hits 1345 degrees Fahrenheit.
Until then, you'll just have to trust me 1500 degrees (what you are aiming for), is a cherry red color which comes just after the metal first starts to glow. After you have heat treated a few knives, you will be able to tell roughly what temperature the steel is based on the color. As you are heating it up, watch the color of the steel.
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