I’ve seen wrought nails made by a blacksmith. Cut nails made by a steel-gobbling machine. And wire nails snipped from enormous coils. But I don’t think I’ve seen nails that have been “stamped.”
I think “stamped” is the right word. I could be wrong.
Paul Mayon of the New English Workshop procured these nails for the two tool chest classes I’m teaching at Warwickshire College this month. Paul looked for traditional clout nails like the ones made by Tremont in the United States, but he came up empty.
These stamped nails are unusual in they look to be die-cut from a sheet of steel, like a cookie cutter. So in one important way, they are much like a cut nail: In one dimension the point of the nail has parallel sides; in the other dimension the point is wedge-shaped.
However, the nails have not been run through a “header” machine, which is like a giant hammer that “upsets” the end of the nail to create a roundish head. This head is what gives clout nails (and other headed nails) their holding power when fastening backs and bottoms to cabinets and chests.
So the heads on these nails extend out in one dimension only. Also unusual: The heads have an additional miniature head on top. I assume that this little head allows you to set the head of the nail below the surface of the wood when using a nail set that is designed for wire nails (if so, it’s a clever idea and works).
In use, these nails seem to bite properly, and the heads deform the wood at times, much like the splintering you’ll get with clout nails. I have no idea how these stamped nails will hold over the long term – perhaps an English reader can let us know in the comments section below.
— Christopher Schwarz
I bought some from Wickes (one of our Home Depot-type shops) which were sold as “Flooring Nails.” They were obviously stamped out too.
Joe, how long ago did you buy the nails? I worked at a Wickes in LeRoy, NY in the late 1970s. They eventually closed all the stores in NY State. I didn’t think there were any Wickes stores left anywhere. Am I wrong?
It must have been around 1998.
I was referring to a UK chain, which is still very much alive and kicking.
Thanks, Joe.
Oh my god, these nails. I used these when I relaid the floorboards in my house. I’d wanted to get some proper cut nails that had been sheared, but these were all I could find. I guess they worked well enough and have held up after a couple of years, but my thumb still throbs when I think about that experience.
I had assumed that, being sold as flooring nails, the mini head on top might have had something to do with having to sand the floorboards afterwards?
I *suspect* that the nails may be “stamped” (vs. sheared like Tremont nails) to benefit from work-hardening by partial deformation of the metal. Sort of half-breed of explicit cold forging, which would, make the nails tougher, ergo stronger.
These nails are indeed designed for nailing down floor boards. The nib on the head helps when driving the nail below the surface. This is highly desirable to get the steel well out of the way of subsequent finishing. They hold very well particulary when driven in at an angle as they should be. I believe Rutlands sell the nails you were after. Regards, Bernard
Chris: spot on. These are indeed stamped from sheet. The burr on one side gives that away. No-one in the UK does the right nails. Bernard’s comment above was true but Rutlands do not appear to stock what we wanted anymore. Frustrating there are not more suppliers in the UK.
Paul
Paul, I thought these were the ones needed although of course the length may be a bit short:
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+hardware-screws-fixings-shingle-nails-1-1-2-454g-bag-of-213+c2156
while these nails may in fact be meant for flooring, they bear a close resemblance to early hand wrought nails used in trim. These were called “clasp head” nails in Neve’s Country Purchaser and were made by flattening a common nail (rosehead in modern terms) so it could be sunk flush. Most 18th century buildings in the middle atlantic and southern colonies used hundreds or thousands of them. Interesting that there is a more modern cut nail used for a different purpose.
Every skirting board (base trim) I’ve ever seen (until the advent of no-nails) has used these, and when you speak of cut nails, these are what I have thought you were referring to. If these stamped out, or sawn out, of a sheet of steel are not “cut”, then how are yours “cut”? The older ones tend to have a head that projects from one edge only, projecting both sides and the pimple on top is a ‘modern’ development in the last 100 years or so.