HCS railroad spikes

bubba-san

bubba-san

Well-Known Member
Ok here is what I have . Met an engineer for Mopac RR and he gave me some spikes , he says they are 1095 High carbon steel ?? The top of spike says HCS . For all I know that could be the Mfg. These are rusted a little but never used . Whats the real skinny on these ... thanks Bubba. Oh by the way the 90 degree twist is like that from factory , I have a big box of them all twisted .
 

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Bubba,
What I was told a long time ago, was that the HC spikes were used in the curves of the tracks, they also mentioned the Carbon content was no more than .70%, but thats in Alabama, and the guy I was talking to seemed to me like he was kinda shady! But it did make sense, what I would do is a spark test! You know what 1095 sparks look like, put the spike to the grinder with a 36 or 50 grit belt and take a pic of the sparks, that way you can really look at the way it sparks and the branches the sparks make! A video would work as well, 1095 sparks like no other! And when it branches, those sparks branch as well!
Its actually a beautiful thing to see, I know I enjoyed it!
Rex
 
Thanks my friend , I don't work too much with scape steel . 70% is not bad though ! that's what a Japanese sword is, about the same. Thanks for the info ..... Bubba
 
sparked like crazy , about 3 ft long spark , wide with many branches. The branches did branch off several time bright white sparks . I compared it to some known 1095 and it looked pretty much the same......
 
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That is a very interesting RR spike you've got there. Certainly must be special. From your spark tests it seems to be higher carbon content than normal for a RR spike. Here is a good read on RR spikes.

https://www.arema.org/files/library...Fasteners_Cope_With_Heavy_Axle_Loads_2007.pdf

I've not read it all yet, but thought it might have some info, check page 15 for carbon content of 1968 vs 2005 spikes.

edit: Here's another link: http://worldclassknives.com/spikes/spikes.pdf look at page #5 for carbon content.

Ken H>
 
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Ken thanks for the Info . I went a little farther and I talked to a fella who makes lots of RR spike blades. He says according to known spark tests they range from 20 points to around 60 . The specs on the PDF were ,I think minimum standards. I guess there are many different types of spikes depending on what they are use for .And the load bearing requirements. I always assumed they were all the same , not suitable for good knives .He says the twisted ones are the best . learn something everyday..... Bubba

http://raysknives.netfirms.com/currentrailroad.htm Quote:RR spikes vary a lot in the carbon content- I have found about 45 different spikes. I spark test them against known carbon content bars of carbon steel. They range from about .25% up to near .60%. By trying different quench mediums to harden them I have them able to cut through mild steel rivets on the anvil with no deformation or chipping. Of the thousands of RR spikes knives I have made- none have been reported not to do the job intended for them. The proof of any knife is if it performs for the job it was designed and hardened for. They also make excellent wood chisels and scorps for wood carving if tempered correctly.
 
I looked at page 15 . 30 points is a minimum so I guess some could be in the 60 range ! That's the same as 5160 as far as carbon content goes ..... So I guess I was wrong . you can make a fairly good knife with the right spike it seems.

thanks again Ken for the heads up on the PDF file ..Bubba
 
I'm glad to be of help - there is so much different info out there on RR spikes it's really hard to tell. The "real" proof is what you find with the spike you have. Those twisted types do seem to be higher carbon than normal RR spikes. I'll have to keep my eyes open for those.

Thanks for all your help Bubba-San

Ken H>
 
Interesting. Never seen the twisted spikes before. I wonder if there was a particular special purpose that called for that and the unusually high carbon content.
 
Myself included ! I was told they are used on curves in track that are fast or widely curved . I guess it makes sense . You drill a pilot hole before you hammer them to the ties. So I was told . I think there was a reference to it some where in the PDF download

I would heat them up and continue the twisting of handle . Something like twisting cable . I have a bunch of these if anyone is interested ? I will hammer one out to see how it works and holds edge ..
 
I will forge it with coal, probably better than propane , since propane is a loosing fire ....... Bubba
 
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