old railroad spikes

[Stranger]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

Why clean them? Most people degrade their old property trying to 'fix' them up.

If "Pawn Stars" has taught me anything it's "never clean up anything old and tarnished."

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

Why clean them? Most people degrade their old property trying to 'fix' them up.

i want to clean them so i can forge them into knives.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

i want to clean them so i can forge them into knives.

If your going to heat them up enough for that why worry about the rust!

Anyway, whoever mentioned the coke thing, it does work very well, takes about 2-3 days and they'll look like new.

[bcb]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

i want to clean them so i can forge them into knives.

Just don't eat with them. Aurora Borealis has been known to cause blindness and paralysis.

[FurnaceFace]

this is quickly turning into a 5 star thread, lots of good info.

Originally Posted by bcb

Just don't eat with them. Aurora Borealis has been known to cause blindness and paralysis.

I'm concerned about Aurora Borealis. What other products contain it? Are the Chinese now using it as a replacement for lead paint?

[Jayems]

I thought old spikes were toxic? Maybe that was just the sealer they used on the wood ties...

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Jayems

I thought old spikes were toxic? Maybe that was just the sealer they used on the wood ties...

i have not heard this, but i guess it makes sense considering they were in creosote soaked wood ties for about 100 years.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by T@T

If your going to heat them up enough for that why worry about the rust!

Anyway, whoever mentioned the coke thing, it does work very well, takes about 2-3 days and they'll look like new.

i have never done any blacksmithing or forging before so i don't know how the final product will look, so i want to clean them first and start with a clean spike. i think i will try to add a twist or 2 in the handle somewhere, and maybe having them cleaned properly first will make any cleaning after the details are done much easier.