[TheForge] nail header question

[Mike Linn]

If the taper is as you say then it is definitely a manufacturers defect.. 
when you call Tom tell him I said so ;^)

I have 3 or 4 of Tom's headers and all work great.  But the tapers are all 
opposite of yours.

Tom is in Atlanta this weekend but should be back in Potosi in the next 
couple of days.

Let him know and he'll make it right..

mike


At 08:49 PM 1/20/2006, you wrote:

>    I  recently  purchased a nail header from Tom Clark at Ozark School of
>    Blacksmithing  and  I am having some trouble with nails getting wedged
>    in  it  after  forming  the  nail head.  I did some reading about nail
>    headers and how to make them and the tapered square hole in mine seems
>    to  be  punched  in the opposite direction than what I've read you are
>    supposed to do.
>    The  one I bought from Ozark S of B has the tapered hole larger on the
>    top   of   the   dome   and   smaller   on  the  bottom....like  this:
>    ======\  /
>    This originally seemed correct to me because that's the same direction
>    the  nail  tapers.  However, hammering down on the head is pushing the
>    tapered  nail  into  the tapered hole and making contact evenly on all
>    sides....and getting stuck.
>    However,  after  reading  various  blacksmith's instructions on how to
>    make  one,  they all seem to  say to make the taper smaller on  top of
>    the  dome  and  larger  at  the  bottom  to keep the nail from getting
>    stuck.....like this: ======/  \
>    Seems with the hole tapered like the one I bought \  / , the nail gets
>    wedged  and stuck when I form the head of the nail. I have to pound on
>    it to get it out and it always screws the nail up.
>    My  question  is what is the correct way to taper the hole in the nail
>    header. I wondering if Ozark S of B might have punched the taper in my
>    backward accidentally.  Being a blacksmithing newbie, I'd like to here
>    some thoughts on this before I call and talk to Ozark S of B about the
>    nail  header  I bought.  For all I know there are different schools of
>    thought on how to taper the hole.
>    You input will be greatly appreciated.
>    Thanks!
>    Steven Walker
>    Crystal Springs, MS


            Mike Linn
      Artist Blacksmith
          McCalla, AL
        AFC Webmaster
http://afc.abana-chapter.com

______________________________________________________________________

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how
   close they were to success when they gave up. "
   ~ Thomas A. Edison
______________________________________________________________________