My neighbor came over and made a knife.

[Kevin Smith]

His is a railroad spike.

Mine is knife steel.

Vote now.

Go!

[pigstika1978]

Both are cool depends on what your using them for but I wouldn't throw either out of my back pack I love hand made custome knifes

[Kevin Smith]

I told my neighbor the belly on his needed to be trimmed down.

[Hookem84]

Wish We were neighbor

[perryr]

The railroad spike looks really neat but due to weight and real world use, I pick the steel knife.

[txtimetravler]

I like the handle and blade of yours but I like the belly of his. Combine the two and you have my vote.

[Conquest]

isn't a railroad spike junk metal like rebar?

i'd take the real knife, aesthetics aside.

[KNOSAJ]

not bad!

[BowFed2014]

I would use ether, but would rather have yours.

[SouthTX1911]

My neighbor came over and made a knife.

isn't a railroad spike junk metal like rebar?

i'd take the real knife, aesthetics aside.

Some are but lots are marked HC for high carbon.

Both look good. I love a good knife. If I had to pick one it would be the spike cause I've got lots of normal steel knives and don't have any spike knives. Really want to make one some day.

[R Herline Jr]

Cool

[stinkbelly]

What if you just want to brain someone and not stab them? His would be better to hit someone on the head with to get their attention.

[robert garcia]

Some are but lots are marked HC for high carbon.

Both look good. I love a good knife. If I had to pick one it would be the spike cause I've got lots of normal steel knives and don't have any spike knives. Really want to make one some day.

Railroad Spike Knives

Another "high carbon" misconception involves railroad spikes. Nearly every bladesmith has made knives from railroad spikes. Railroad spikes are readily available, usually for free, they are a novel item, and they can make a perfectly useable knife. However, they simply do not contain enough carbon to make a good blade. One big misunderstanding comes from railroad spikes that are marked "HC" for "High Carbon". The problem is that what the railroads consider "High Carbon" is equivalent to what a knifemaker would call low carbon mild steel.

According to specifications set forth by American Railway Engineering Association there are two classes of railroad spikes, low carbon track spikes used on straight sections of railroads and high carbon steel track spikes used on curves and switches. According to the specifications, low carbon spikes may contain no more than 0.12% carbon and "High Carbon" spikes may contain NO MORE THAN 0.30% carbon.

Knife blade steels typically contain between 0.85% and 1.5% carbon, or 3-5 times as much carbon as a "High Carbon" railroad spike.

The reasoning is that the railroads want mild steel that will bend rather than break. A bent spike will still hold a rail whereas a broken spike will not.

Copied from: http://www.cartercrafts.com/carbon_myth.htm

[Cullstuff]

You could spread some butter with that railroad spike/knife!

[scottlangley]

Spike just has a look of coolness about it