My son recently purchased some very old maple flooring that he will clean up and re-use in a house he is building. The nails are square cut, I would like to save these for some future use? anyone done something with old nails? I like the idea of reuseing something into something new.
Adirondacker

they would be good if you make an old style door with blacksmith made hinges of course, use the nails as elements of design on the front side of the door .

you can draw out the tip of it, and twist it. then you can punch it and put a nice leather strip through and make keychains or necklaces

They are probably cut nails, they still make them as they have more holding power than wire (round nails) about 30 to 40% more. they are nice for period looks. and like wire nails, there is a right and wrong way to drive them in wood.

Edited February 4, 200917 yr by irnsrgn

Use them! They are stronger, as irnsrgn pointed out. I've been stock piling all that I pull out of my house as I do work. I'm hoping to start re-using them at some point. Irnsrgn, what is the proper way to drive them in to wood?

Lots of guys that do floors still use square nails.

Can you put a square nail in a round hole?????????J/K:)

If you have a big enough hammer......

Thanks for ideas and suggestions, sq nails cut where as round ones split, when I installed knotty pine ceiling here I used flooring nails took awhile but once in place it stays put, finish nails would split the tongue. So will try out new forge today and staighten some bent nails. For jewlery what should be used as a finish on them? Littlewolf where in Upstate New York?
Adirondacker

Usually you put the widest part of the nail perpendicular to the grain of the wood. But with flooring or specific uses the nails go paralell to the flooring and perpendicular to the studs. The only thing is that you need pincers to get them back out.

Edited February 5, 200917 yr by CBrann