Bad Attitude Farm & Forge LLC

You can acquire free high carbon railroad spikes legally, without trespassing or steeling railroad property.  Truth be known, the majority of spikes found by the side of the tracks are so low carbon that they are just about useless for knife making.  Although much better than the older spikes, knives made from so-called high carbon railroad spikes should not be considered high performance.  I forge railroad spikes into knives because the finished product demonstrates the tranformative nature of forging.  Let’s face it, everybody knows what a railroad spike looks like, so seeing one changed into a knife really illustrates the difference between forging and stock removal knife making.

Like most people, I first started making railroad spike knives from spikes found along the tracks.  Not only was it time consuming, I later learned it is illegal.  Despite the fact that they are discarded along the tracks by railroad crews, the railroad wants you no where near their tracks.  Besides, these are usually the low carbon variety left there because they were replaced with the modern higher carbon variety.

Later, I found I could purchase railroad spikes on Ebay and via a few suppliers.  Every now and then a patron would show up at a venue with a bag of the things.  A few wanted to use them for trade.  They were almost always the rusty old low carbon variety.

Finally, I found my current free source of high carbon railroad spikes.   No, I didn’t make friends with someone who repairs tracks.  I just saw someone throwing practically new high carbon railroad spikes into a hole and covering the hole as part of his job.  What was that job?  Road repair.

If you’ve ever driven over a steel plate in the road, chances are good that plate was held down with gently used high carbon railroad spikes.  When it is time to lift the plate and fill in the hole, the first things to go into the hole are the spikes.  It turns out those spikes are often used only once.  I am not sure if this is law or just common practice.

So when ever you see one of those plates lifted away from the hole, stop your car in a safe place and ask the crew if you could have the used spikes.  If your luck is anything like mine, they will also offer you some of their new spikes.  I’ve always declined the new spikes because it seems like theft.

Good luck and remember folk helping folk can be a way of life.  All you have to do is ask and offer.