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I Forge Iron

Nail header failures, but I'm not quitting.


Daswulf

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they reminded me of spikes Frosty :) thanks. 

yeah Glenn, i shoulda straightened em when they were hot, or i bent em taking em out of the post. thought i had em straight :) didnt wanna tap em around cold.

and i'll have to agree that hand forged nails probably hold Way better

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All Swedish store bought nails are made from square stock. That is not a regular geometric square more a very blunt star. They are supposed to have a better grip than round ones but I have no figures on that.

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When making nails, use the header as a handle to straighten those long enough on the anvil. A dip into the water will shrink the metal and allow it to release from the header plus harden the nail stock a bit. How much I do not know, but you can hear the difference when it is dropped onto the floor. It was more about keeping the header cool to cold, not the effect on the nail.

 

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On the final heat, straighten the nails on the anvil face.  Hit them cold and they will break.

I did break 2 of em. Think they were the ones I quenched quickly to get em out of the header. :wacko:  other ones came out of the grader nicely. 

 

Thanks Frosty. They are some spikes. 

I have some free time this weekend finally so I'll get back at it. :lol:

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Take a wire nail 16 penny or so and put several chisel marks 90* to the shaft. Drive it and an unmarked nail into a board alone with a hand forged nail about the same size and length. Tell us which is easier to remove.

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Depends. You can't get a galvy ring shank out of soft wood without breaking the head off. It'll suck the head through the 2"x4" if you pry the boards apart.

There's one more downside to square nails, the sharp corners cut the wood fiber so it doesn't put so much pressure against the nail from being compressed.

If I'm serious about a square shank holding I simply use a sharp chisel to make teeth across the shank like wide file teeth. Then put a twist on it. You can only destroy the nail and lumber trying to pull it. Burning the wood at least saves the nails, the lumber is toast regardless.

Frosty The Lucky

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In my part of the world it is common to nip the point off the nail when nailing close to the end of the board. This gives a chisel shape and the edge is put perpendicular to the wood fibres. This decreases the tendency to split the wood.

Göte

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There are as many different types of nails as there are need to put two pieces of material together. The nail header was designed for one type and generally size nail. Research the use and you can reverse engineer the rest.

You can make a square nail round if you wish. just takes a little more time.

No comments yet on "Dead as a door nail" or where the expression came from ?

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There are as many different types of nails as there are need to put two pieces of material together. The nail header was designed for one type and generally size nail. Research the use and you can reverse engineer the rest.

You can make a square nail round if you wish. just takes a little more time.

No comments yet on "Dead as a door nail" or where the expression came from ?

Door nails were 'dead' because after you drove them through the boards during door construction you would clench them or bend them over to give more holding power on the door. As a result the nails were difficult to reuse and as they were now good for nothin (kinda like that drunk uncle we all have).  :) 

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Well, #5s are prety common for lighthorses, 3 3 gets used on small ponies and mules, wile 7-8 are draft horse nailes. Check out #8s! All kinds of fun. 

#5 are what are usualy used for cross necklesses, i like 6 for most rings, but #8 makes somthing manly. As well as "coke spoons" lol.

 

 

Tricks on hirseshoing nailes are rectagular in crosssection, atleast 1.5:1 but often 2:1, the botom third is taperd to a point, even on the nerow side and one direction on the wide side, with the heads flatend in the direction of the wide side. 

I found it easiest to forge them as a slim square nail, draw out the point, then set the head down with a half face blow, and flaten the side and draw the one side taper. Either use a center pinch or a chisel to score the head so that their is a reverence mark on the one sided taper. Many newer nailes are coming with a very week touch mark, wich was originaly placed their as a witnes mark that could be felt, so you didn't have to look to see if you had the nail orintated to come out the hoof wall instead of curving in tord the sensitive structure. Some say sorces clain it was to alow cavalry farriers to replace shoes in low light conditions. I can only imagine shoing buy torch light, i like my head lamp for such emergencies. 

As the head fits in a sloted hole, it isnt "headed" in conventinal way, as the head would wear off and the shoe would be cast, it is either set like a squarish countersink or more common simply sholderd and flatend 

Edited by Charles R. Stevens
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