Tried using a railroad spike for a full-size chef knife and the carbon content was way lower than I expected. | Blacksmiths - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Tried using a railroad spike for a full-size chef knife and the carbon content was way lower than I expected.
The blade wouldn't hold an edge after three hard cuts through a carrot, so I learned the hard way that most spikes are just mild steel, not worth the time if you want a real working knife have any of you actually gotten a spike to harden properly?
Ha, yeah mystery metal is the perfect way to put it. The thing is those spikes were never meant to be knife steel they are just cheap fasteners for keeping tracks down. You're better off finding an old farm truck leaf spring or a farrier's rasp if you actually want something that hardens.