![]() With what I have learned about the superquench solutions, it may be possible to harden a track spike and make a knife from it. I hope this information can be incorporated into the body of knowledge of bladesmithing. I am satisfied since I have learned something different from what I had assumed. However, we refer to them as high carbon, they are not within the range of steels known as high carbon or hypereutectoid according to the steel industry standards, and have not been since at least 1926, when most track spikes were previously manufactured from wrought iron." The consequences for the industry would be too great to consider. A bent spike still holds the rail while a fractured spike would not. After all, brittle spikes would not be desirable as a track spike. The supplemental fax from the Wellington fellow indicates, "Because of the bending tests required, the carbon content will not be greater than 0.30%. When copper is specified, the letters "CU" shall be added." Marking: A letter or brand indicating manufacturer and also the letters "HC" indicating high carbon, shall be pressed on the head of each spike while it is being formed. Bending properties: The body of a full size finished spike shall stand being bent cold through 120 degrees around a pin, the diameter of which is not greater than the thickness of the spike without cracking on the outside portion of the bent portion. 2-3: Specifications for high carbon steel track spikes 1968.Ĭarbon not greater than 0.30%, nor greater than 0.20% copper. When copper is specified, the letters "CU" shall be added. A letter or brand indicating the manufacturer shall be pressed on the head of each spike while it is being formed. Section 6a.īending properties: The body of a full size finished spike shall stand being bent cold through 180 degrees flat on itself without cracking on the outside portion of the bent portion. "A low carbon track spike will not contain greater than 0.12% carbon nor greater than 0.20% copper. The AREA document identifies both low carbon and high carbon spike specifications. Two sizes of track spike are identified, one of 5/8 inch square shaft and one of 9/16 inch. Two classes of track spikes are given specifications. ![]() Original document, 1926, revised last in 1968. I received back a fax from a fellow working for Wellington industries, a division of Sheffield Steel.Īccording to the American Railway Engineering Association's Specifications for Soft-Steel Track Spikes. I want to dispel myths with hard science and publicly apologize or both of those errors. And, I was wrong about the markings and steel umbers I quoted to a fellow at the NMM conference this weekend. There is some continuing pressure to maintain a myth about the steel content of track spikes. I want to post this small essay for two reasons. Because of the number of times the topic of railroad spikes comes up here I thought it appropriate to spread his post around. The following post was made by Mike Blue, a knife maker and member of the Guild of Metalsmiths over in Minnesota. Here are the posts without modifications. ![]() I do not know either of these people but it sure appears that Mike Blue decided to go find the REAL answer to this question. The following post was posted in a blacksmithing forum by Dave Brown and is about a post made by Mike Blue. ![]()
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