What does MC mean on a railroad spike?
Here you can see that the “MC” spikes contained 0.19% Carbon (essentially “Mild Steel”/ “Low Carbon Steel”) and the “HC” spikes contained 0.34% Carbon (Essentially the low end of “Medium Carbon Steel”).
Is it illegal to collect railroad spikes?
No. In the US, Railroad Police would consider spike removal as theft and as criminal damage to rail property. Because it could lead to a derailment, a typical charge in other countries might be “Rail Sabotage”. Certainly not – it’s theft for starters and would lead to you being prosecuted if you were caught.
Are railroad spikes valuable?
If you buy them online, used railroad spikes cost ROUGHLY (it will fluctuate) $. 80/spike to $1.30/spike – this doesn’t include shipping. Buying in bulk will get you a lower per unit price and will generally save you money on shipping.
What percent carbon are railroad spikes?
Soft-Steel spikes contain anywhere from a minimum of 0.06 to 0.20 percent carbon (reference sec.
How heavy is a railroad spike?
The weight of a 5½ ×9/16× 9/16-in. spike is about ½ lb. The head is usually made oblong, about, 1 3/16 × 1½ ins., the under side of the same being inclined to correspond to the slope of the top side of the rail flange, which is usually 13 degrees.
Are railroad spikes steel?
Basically railroad spikes are made out of the following materials: Q235 carbon steel, Q 345B carbon steel, Q345D carbon steel, 45# (GB standard) carbon steel, 40Cr steel, 35CrMoA steel and 20MnTiB.
What can I do with railroad spikes?
Some other great and easy to implement art ideas that you can make out of railroad spikes are toilet paper holder, bottle opener, wine bottle holder, cloth hanger, candle stand.
Can you sell old railroad spikes?
Utility Scrap List. Scrap metal yards are forbidden by state law to accept these items at our facilities. Common utility scrap includes materials such as: Railroad track materials or railroad equipment such as railroad spikes, angle bars, tie plates, signal housing, control boxes, switch plates, or rail tie junctions.
Do railroad spikes make good knives?
They do make great ironwork type of pieces, though. Wall hooks and ornamental pieces turn out great. I’ve seen guys make really nice handle guards for big knives with them. Really, the main appeal for using railroad spikes is in forging or welding projects.
What can you do with railroad spikes?
List of Railroad Spike Projects Ideas For Blacksmiths (With Videos & Advice)
- 1) Railroad Spike Tongs.
- 2) Railroad Spike Bottle Opener.
- 3) Railroad Spike Knife.
- 4) Railroad Spike Tomahawk.
- 5) Railroad Spike Garden Bracket.
What are high carbon railroad spikes?
Some railroad spikes are “high carbon,” usually indicated by the letters “H” on the head. In this case, that means .40%-.45% carbon, not the .80% that we would usually call high carbon. High carbon railroad spikes are barely heat treatable at all, and won’t hold an edge very long. They can be safely quenched in water.
Are railroad spikes high carbon?
Railroad spikes are low carbon steel mild steel, approximately 15 points carbon max, even the ones marked HC which stands for higher carbon, not High Carbon only have about 30 points of carbon.
Are railroad spikes hardenable?
Hardenable railroad spikes are right around.5 percent carbon, which makes them either the high end of the low carbon range, or the low end of the medium carbon range.