Cold forging a file

wnease said:
i have a pile of carbide inserts we could add to the mix...

Has anyone found some of the case-hardened files? Not that I'm suggesting playing on the tracks... it just sounds interesting
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I have a box of Simmonds files that are case hardened. You don't have to worry about dropping them but they're kinda crap

-Page
 
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure it's a federal offense?

Or, have you just heard that it is and are spreading a belief without actually knowing? My current thought is that at worst, unless there is a local city ordinance against it, you would be guilty of littering. Several California cities have ordinances against it, I can find nothing in our local city ordinances against it. I can state for a fact that the last train driver I talked to said to use duck-tape to keep pennies from flying away. They tend to flatten then vibrate off the track and get lost in the rocks underneath.

I'm going to find out by contacting the Federal Railroad Administration at 816-407-9561. Then we will know.

I saw that about the "salt on the tracks" in Alabama while I was searching, too. Hilarious.

I really want to find someone with a rolling mill as I have a vision of a rolled flat file and the patterns on the blade.
 
Didn't care to spend a bunch of time researching on it, but in California it is a misdemeanor ( most states actually) to even be on the tracks. Other penalties apply for placing objects on the tracks deliberately:

CALIFORNIA
It is unlawful in California for anyone to enter or remain upon the property of any railroad where
entry, presence or conduct upon the property interferes with or interrupts the safe and efficient operation of
any locomotive. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor under California law. Cal. [Penal] Code § 369i
(West 1999). Also see Cal. [Penal] Code § 554 (West 1999) regarding posting of property.

I did find that objects as small as a brick have been placed on the tracks by youth and derailed a passenger train. And a reference to three girls being arrested in that incident in 1999.
 
zaph1 said:
Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure it's a federal offense? Or, have you just heard that it is and are spreading a belief without actually knowing?
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:thumbdn: quit redirecting, you got busted, take your chops, learn your lesson, illegal is illegal, no matter the severity or penality.



zaph1 said:
I really want to find someone with a rolling mill as I have a vision of a rolled flat file and the patterns on the blade.
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:thumbdn: buy some 1095 or 1084 from one of the MANY steel supplier's online. Chisel the lines in it yourself. OR buy a Nicholson Black Diamond File, build a bon fire, roast some weinies and marshmallows, with the family, throw a file into the fire, dig it out next afternoon, (becareful there will probably be hot coals still) now you have a an ANNEALED file to grind a knife out of with the lines still intact. when ready sprinkle some table salt on the blade, and heat back up the file till salt melts FAST. then quench in MCMaster Carr 11 second oil (about 20 bux for a gallon) plunge straight in, no side to side and no yaw one way or the other a little downward angle is fine.

Jason
 
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According to the Regional Federal Railroad Administration, placing a penny or anything else on a railroad track is considered vandalism, a simple misdemeanor in most of the 50 states. Not 5 or 10 years in jail, not a felony. Of course if you remove the penny or file, it is no longer vandalism.

Now, removing a spike to make a knife out of, that IS a felony, both theft and vandalism, and destruction of property. A removed spike is much more likely to cause a train to derail than about anything you can place on the track.

Yes, I saw the Wisconsin case of a brick derailing a train, and am dubious of it's authenticity or feasibility since I've known train drivers to place chips of flint on the tracks to give a light show at scenic train depot.

Good to know about annealing in a bonfire. I wasn't sure that would do it, but I will try that next month (as soon as the snow melts, hopefully). What is so special about the "Black Diamond" files. I've seen them mentioned in a few threads now.
 
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(source)

In an effort to extend the life of the tracks and the soil that surrounds the ties, the state of Alabama has made a law that forbids one from putting salt on the local train tracks. Though the law was written way back when, to this day it remains, the violation is punishable by death.


Now that's a stupid law... how am I gonna eat my track wthout salt? I needs my iron!
 
zaph1 said:
What is so special about the "Black Diamond" files. I've seen them mentioned in a few threads now.
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They're made out of the good stuff... 1095/W1. Lowes I know. sells them looking back this was a pretty humurous thread :D and you were a good sport through all the heckling. Welcome! :thumbup:

Jason
 
it would be cheaper just to buy 1095 from a supplier......

plus you won't have to worry about crap getting caught in the files teeth and rusting;)
 
...so you've managed to research enough about the legality of something as pathetic as placing an object on a railroad track to reach a conclusion, yet you apparently didn't do any research at all other than post an absurd question on a knifemaking forum...

...and we're supposed to be nice to you.

Welcome to my ignore list, $h!Tbird!
 
The pursuit of knowledge is never a bad thing, Matthew. I did do other research before asking, and found no answer. That answer being that a file is too brittle and would shatter before being cold-rolled.

A few people also learned that it wouldn't derail a train. Although, in Wisconsin a brick can(not sure what kind of brick) and they put you to death if you put salt on the track in Alabama. The rest of the thread could be copied onto Mythbusters forum if you really wanted.
 
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