Caught a crack in a railroad tie plate before it snapped on me

I was forging a hook for a gate latch last Tuesday in my shop in Tulsa when I saw a hairline fracture running through the steel. Stopped right there, hit it with a cold chisel to open it up, and it split clean in two. Has anyone else had a piece of scrap blow up on them mid-strike?

2 comments

2 Comments

sean7821mo ago

Start by checking the steel for internal stress before you even start forging. I had a piece of railroad track blow up on me a couple years back because there was a micro-crack hidden deep inside. The heat from the forge can make those things expand and turn into a real problem fast. I'd say run a file over any new scrap you pick up and listen for a high pitched ringing sound. If it sounds dead or dull, that steel might have issues you can't see with your eyes. Better to toss it than have a chunk fly at your face mid strike.

emmawood1mo ago

A piece of railroad track actually blew up on you? That's the kind of thing that makes you reconsider your whole hobby mid-swing. I knew old steel could be tricky, but I didn't think it could turn into a fragmentation grenade.