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Easiest way to finish a railroad spike knife how to#
Easiest way to finish a railroad spike knife full#

To harden the knife, heat it to red hot at around 1500 degrees F.

Harden the Knife: You now need to heat the knife for making it strong and hold a sharp edge.

Such a file goes only in the forward direction to make these tasks easier for you. If you are using a file, consider a mill file, as it as an array of parallel cutting lines and not crosshatching. In the absence of a belt sander, a file is useful for both cleaning and shaping tasks. During this process, consider using a file to give the intended final shape. This is also how we switched hammers while forging. You can use the belts, starting with a heavy grit and then switching to medium grit.

Clean the Blade: Use all power tools to clean the newly formed blade and give it the final shape.

You still need to hammer, flatten, and straighten the spine using the lighter hammer, as it is still too thick to suit a knife. The spine at this point is quite straight and is beginning to thin out properly.

Take a lighter hammer to work more on the spike to obtain a more accurate shape.

At the end of this sub-step, the major shape of the knife is formed.

Easiest way to finish a railroad spike knife how to#

You can then see how to hammer one side and then the other.

Just keep restoring its shape along the centerline (visualize this). Working it will twist it significantly, which is fine. This part of the tool where the blade shapes into the handle are known as the knife’s choil. Start by putting the spike on the anvil’s edge and hitting using the hammer such that the latter’s center is just at the anvil’s edge. This is where the blade becomes flattered and flickers into the handle. Now, it is time for half-face near hammering.Then, from the color, you will be able to decide when to put it back for more heating. During this, you will be able to feel the metal’s malleability. With a little bit of hammering, the shape of the knife becomes visible. You can now easily find out the side that will be the edge to be sharpened. In some time, you will see how the blade is shaping. Just hold the spike flat with the section where the edge of the blade will be up and then hammering the tip using an angle. You need to lean towards one side, as the spine is thicker than the blade. Avoid hammering directly flat, as flattening it even is not the exact goal. For flattening the blade end, you need to perform evenly on both sides. This will include heating several times in the forge. Make the tip as thin and long as possible. For making the tip, you heat it and strike all four sides uniformly. Start by hammering and flattening the initial 1/3rd of the shaft’s length, measuring from the point back’s tip. Shape the Blade and Tip: Once the spike is heated well, give it a few hits using a heavy hammer, such as the one weighing 3.5 pounds.

Easiest way to finish a railroad spike knife full#

Clamp the head and hold your wrenches to give the desired number of twists (half or full rotations). The head’s elongated edge should be pointing in the same direction as the finished blade’s sharp edge. Now, hold the spike with metallic tongs and keep it on the anvil such that the head is positioned properly. Heat until you get the red/orange hot look. Do not be bothered about the spike’s butt, as you will not be working with that section. A charcoal fire with instituted air is enough. You can do so in a forge or working furnace. Heat the Spike Evenly: Now, the forging procedure starts from here.