one knife steel to do ya forever

01. I don't even need the hypothetical. The only steel I love is 01.
 
M4 if we got a pretty good early warning, otherwise 1095.

M4 if I can get it done well before the apocalypse starts. If I can't get it all grinded out and back from HT in time before it all goes down, then I would say 1095.
 
12345678910 said:
I've read some documents that railroad rail has to meet a federal specification and that it's 1080

Barring a reliable source of good steel, a mail service to get it to me, no trains running on it and no cops to catch me.

I think I'd drag some rail home and see how it works.
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I do know that they heat treat the ends but didn't know what the exact material spec was. I just spark tested a piece we have here at the shop and going solely by that I'd say 1080 would be pretty close.
 
So at least if we don't get em made of our steel of choice in time, we can at least cut up the rail system... gotta be careful to leave some though, that's probably the best way to get around once the roads aren't safe. lol. I'm gonna build my 3v "tank" in the meantime, just in case.
 
rustyrazor said:
So at least if we don't get em made of our steel of choice in time, we can at least cut up the rail system...
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Yeah... I've seen several pics of anvils made of RR rail, but I have no idea where people find 'em. Or how they cut 'em up. Or how they would forge one down to blade-sized stock without a power hammer or an awful lot of help and time... :confused:
 
do you use your carbon knives near salt water? Has your knife ever got rust? Have you ever removed rust? If you answered yes to either of these you have compromised the integrity of your knife. After a length of time as this continues the over all health of the blade will degrade. If you are using this blade for everything forever as this scenario suggests you are going to have issues.
 
12345678910 said:
I've got other carbon steel knives older than I am and they have not yet crumbled into dust without constant care.
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do you use your carbon knives near salt water? Has your knife ever got rust? Have you ever removed rust? If you answered yes to either of these you have compromised the integrity of your knife. After a length of time as this continues the over all health of the blade will degrade. If you are using this blade for everything forever as this scenario suggests you are going to have issues.
 
james terrio said:
Yeah... I've seen several pics of anvils made of RR rail, but I have no idea where people find 'em. Or how they cut 'em up. Or how they would forge one down to blade-sized stock without a power hammer or an awful lot of help and time... :confused:
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At the plating shop I work at, the local rail company brings us pieces cut into book ends for plating that they give as retirement gifts and the light rail transit company have brought us about 100 - 1/2" slices that they had engraved and brass plated. They look like they are cut with some sort of saw and an older fella I know that worked on the railroad many years ago said they used a power hacksaw to cut them.
 
jaymeister99 said:
M4 if we got a pretty good early warning, otherwise 1095.

M4 if I can get it done well before the apocalypse starts. If I can't get it all grinded out and back from HT in time before it all goes down, then I would say 1095.
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Yes, and yes.

james terrio said:
Yeah... I've seen several pics of anvils made of RR rail, but I have no idea where people find 'em. Or how they cut 'em up. Or how they would forge one down to blade-sized stock without a power hammer or an awful lot of help and time... :confused:
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I was just thinking about this. Here at the factory we have hundreds of yards of overhead tracks that carriages hang and roll on. The stuff looks just like rr track. I need to go check the bone yard to see if we have any laying around. :)

As for The Walking Dead, my wife gets irritated that I put it in slow-mo every time Darrell pulls out that Busse. :D
 
All the rail I ever cut while working on the track crew was cut with a 20" gas powered chop saw that clamps onto the rail. For tear-out jobs, it's just hacked out with a torch (flange, flange, web, top cut).

If it hasn't been work hardened to death, you can usually cut it with a large horizontal bandsaw.

I have a couple chunks of 96# rail that were given to me by a guy who owns a railcar loading dock. I got the first piece from him before I knew anything about rail and packed the 4' long piece off over my shoulder... that was dumb. LMAO


I think this might be of interest to some of you... :)
[video=youtube;4kgCvmvYCBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kgCvmvYCBE[/video]
 
If I know the apocalypse is coming and I have time to do HT Id make an enormous 18 inch chopper from .227 3V and harden it to 58. --Actually I should do this, would be a fun project.

If the power goes out and I have to make a knife Id go with 1084 or 5160 because they are easy to HT without electricity and are very tough.
 
My choice would be A2. I'm in the process of getting solar panels for my shop. A2 is my favorite steel, so why not keep using it.
 
The most obvious answer would be use the steel that you are most competent in H/T'ing. For me that would be 1084. The answer is not which steel but which steel can you get the most out of.

BTW: I understand that most RR rail is made of 1070.

Gary
 
good video and the cool part is i got to see all that and more at the cartec plant in reading and also how powder steel is made at latrobe
i saw it coming and i got mine made :)
cts PD1 62rc .227 thick and 13 inch of blade Ti guard and my bluejeans micrata
dsc07456sm.jpg
 
butcher_block said:
good video and the cool part is i got to see all that and more at the cartec plant in reading and also how powder steel is made at latrobe
i saw it coming and i got mine made :)
cts PD1 62rc .227 thick and 13 inch of blade Ti guard and my bluejeans micrata
dsc07456sm.jpg
Click to expand...

That my-Carta is lovely. I bet that's one tough chopper!
 
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