[TheForge] Fw: Ancient metallurgy - US Bicentennial Bloom

[Grover Richardson]

>*>-----Original Message-----
>*>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net 
>*>[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer
>*>Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 6:21 PM
>*>To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
>*>Subject: [TheForge] Fw: Ancient metallurgy - US Bicentennial Bloom
 
>*>BTW, you'd think that here in Canada where we still have a 
>*>Queen and a Governor General [1] that the old British 
>*>traditional usage would be standard.  But, although cartons 
>*>of common nails come marked "10d", "20d" etc. (along with 
>*>length & type), I have yet to meet a carpenter that knows 
>*>what 10d  means.  They refer to nails by length: 2" common, 
>*>2-1/2" galvanized and so on and look blank if you ask for 
>*>"10 penny nails". 
>*>
>*>- Mike
>*>
>*>[1] It is politically incorrect to refer to her as the 
>*>Governess General. :-)
>*>
>*>-- 
>*>Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
>*>                                                           /V\ 
>*>mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
>*>http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^


My daddy used to build houses in the flats of Mississippi.  He and his dad
taught me that d meant penny, and would ask for the nail by "penny."  Though
I don't ever remember an explanation as to why.  I taught my children and
inlaw children this also.  As well, they sell them in boxes with "d" on them
here in Georgia.

I knew what a cut nail was, but I was grown before I knew why it was called
that<G>.

Sort of like my oldest daughter.  She was in grade school before she
actually found out what "rude, crude, and socially unacceptable" really
meant.  However, from the time she was old enough to understand, she knew
when she heard those words that she was in deep kimshee<G>.