Railroad Spike Knives


There are many misconceptions about knives made from railroad spikes, and I hope I can help to clear some of those up.
The first, and probably most common, issue is the matter of the quality and type of steel. The steel that spike are made of varies depending on the composition the railroad asked for when they were made, so right off the bat it makes it very hard to know the carbon content of the spikes without getting each one tested individually. If you were to do that, you would still find the carbon  content too low to make a quality knife blade. They are hardenable to a degree, but they are primarily a display piece, not a hard working knife.

Secondly, they are a simple carbon steel, and can be brought to a much higher finish than most people assume, but THEY WILL RUST. There is simply no way around that, short of chroming them. In my opinion, I appreciate the rustic look of a forge finish spike knife, but it is important for buyers and collectors to remember they need to be cared for the same as you would for any carbon steel knife. A little bit of thin oil applied before long term storage can go a very long way towards keeping your new spike knife looking presentable in the long run.

My Mission as a Smith


I am a simple man, with simple goals. My biggest desire as a smith and knifemaker is make purpose built tools for the people who use them, in an honest and affordable way. Why do I say honest? I have noticed over the years that industry terms have changed, and in my opinion, not for the better. The term "hand forged" used to mean a smith forged the piece by his own hand...now the term is being abused by some to include the use of huge presses to stamp out blanks which are then cut out and finished. Well, thats not how I do things, and it never will be. If I say a piece is hand forged, it means I heated it in my shop, in my forge, and hammered it out with my hammer in my hand. No bull here. I dont use prefinished parts, I dont buy kits, I dont buy sheaths. Every step of my work is done from raw materials that i cut, forge, finish, grind, polish, and stitch. I am a true sole authorship maker, and I take great pride in that. When you buy from me, what you receive is truly handmade, and there will never be another exactly like it.

A Note on Steel


There has been a growingfocus lately in the blade community on the type of steel used in knifemaking. While the specialty steels being created are a wonder of modern metallurgy, sometimes we, both makers and consumers, lose sight of a more important aspect of the process...heat treatment. A "poor quality" steel properly heat treated can often perform just as well as the latest magic steel with incorrect heat treatment. It is this knowledge that has kept me from shying away from some steels that other makers would call a "beginners steel" and has allowed me to keep costs down while not sacrificing performance.It has always been my goal to make high quality affordable knives, and so I continue to focus on heat treatment to gain the most performance I can from the steels I commonly use.

Handmade Knives and Forgecraft