[TheForge] nail header

[Albin Drzewianowski]

Tom Clark has a good suggestion for making nails.  He always does it in 2
heats.

In the first heat,   he shoulders, draws out the nail and then notches
almost all the way through.

(Now here is what he does different) Bend the nail rod at the notch to about
a 60 degree angle and put it back into the fire with the notch/head down
into the fire and the tip pointing up.  (what this does, is it heats up the
head with out the  risk of  burning off the fine tip of the nail.  By
reheating the head in a 2nd heat, you insure that the head will spread out
nicely.)

Then take the nail out of the fire, twist it off in the header and form the
head.

I now use this is system and definitely get larger and better shaped nail
heads.

You can do a nail in one heat, but I think that no matter how fast you are,
you are really forcing the steel to form the head at that point. The head
forms so much easier after the 2nd heat with Tom's system.

Albin Drzewianowski
Westminster, MD.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy Vida" <osan at netlabs.net>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 1:03 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] nail header


>
>
> Dave Brown wrote:
> >
> > At 00:44 06/30/04, you wrote:
> >
> > >Could someone suggest the simplest way of making a nail header. I
assume a
> > >tapered square punch should be made to form hole. If I plan on using
.250"
> > >rd. rod for nails, I assume a .250" hole should be punched .
> >
> > NO.  If you punch a .250" hole your stock will fall through before you
can
> > put a head on it.  The top of the hole MUST be smaller than the parent
> > stock you are using.  Forge the nail shank to length and width desired.
Do
> > this over the edge of your anvil so you can form a shoulder at the nail
> > head.  Cut off so that the stock for the head is about 1.5 times the
> > diameter of the stock.  Get it hot, insert in header, wack it with a
> > hammer.  Turn the header over and nail should fall out ... may need a
slap
> > on the edge of the anvil.
>
> Agree with this, but with one modification, don't cut the nail
> away from the parent stock.  Notch deeply, then insert head
> into header, break off, and finish per your description.  Or
> if you're not that good at making nails (that would be me) and
> need a second heat, reheat notched nail, then place in header
> and break off and finish.
>
> See:  http://netlabs.net/~osan/Documents/Nail.jpg
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