[TheForge] nail header question

[Phil]

I thought we were blacksmiths, and that we made nail
headers?  =8-)

--- Steven.Walker at its.state.ms.us 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
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