Using nails

**powderpost** · 5th January 2010, 10:49 PM

I also used to turn the nails upside down on the job and tap the point. this left a small hole for the head of the nail. Another trick was to flatten the nail head side ways on a steel block. The nail hole was then sort of oval. Not as conspicuous as a round hole and blends into the grain pattern better than a round hole.
The old fibro nails had a square end.
Jim

**jimbur** · 6th January 2010, 07:54 PM

I worked for a builders supplier some forty odd years ago. Besides supplying the old type of cut clasp nails we sold oval brads with what was known as lost heads. These tore the wood less than the bullet heads and presumably in conjunction with the long axis along the grain would show less when punched home.
Jim

**Dills58** · 6th January 2010, 08:38 PM

If you can hide the nails the way you have, using them is not an issue. BTW, very nice project, do you have plans of it or it's straight out of the head.

Dills.

**rhancock** · 6th January 2010, 08:45 PM

I've spent ten years hunting for lost heads in Australia, we always used them for skirting, architrave etc. Still blunted the points to help stop splitting though. They were great to pull out too as they came out through the back easily. It's worth remembering that a large part of the force in a nail is friction along the stem.

**jimbur** · 6th January 2010, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by rhancock

I've spent ten years hunting for lost heads in Australia, we always used them for skirting, architrave etc. Still blunted the points to help stop splitting though. They were great to pull out too as they came out through the back easily. It's worth remembering that a large part of the force in a nail is friction along the stem.

I seems they're still available in the UK.
Cheers,
Jim

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