VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Body nails

So I checked out casing nails and they are not correct. Casing nails have a 30 degree head and the original body nails have a 45 degree head. I am presently investigating getting nails made and we will see what happens. I have samples from Restoration Supply and the body of the nail is too large and I would expect splitting to be an issue. Also the RS nails have very bulky heads to them that would require too much grinding. I am not a fan of pounding the nails further into sheet metal as this can cause distortion on panels I spent great amounts of time making straight and smooth.
If you can find them there used to be manufactured nails for attaching No-Sag upholstery seat spring end clamps that are the correct diameter and head shape with a spiral body that are much closer and would hold better but the manufacturer of those ceased production 2-3 years ago.
We will see what I can get made.

Just got an email from the president of Maze Nails. They do not make them shorter but he said they can be snipped to length. (we all know that of course but that is labor intensive. Here is the link:
https://www.mazenails.com/nails/3/21/HT*/trim/interior-trim/hardwood-trim-nails

One good feature of snipped nails, particularly if they are not too tapered, is less tendency to split the wood.

When I was a kid we build our own cabinets and also installed trim. My father, the master carpenter, taught us to snip the ends of the small finish nails. That kept us from drilling pilot holes with an egg beater drill. Then a nail set to sink the head, followed by tinted putty to cover the hole.

Old memories can be pleasant even though the actual event might not have been so much.

The casing nails referred to from Maze are 2" and have a body diameter of .099" As well as having the incorrect taper on the head they are too big in diameter.

what are the spec's for what you are looking for?
Diameter








What are the spec's for what you are looking for?
Diameter?
Length?
Head size and taper angle?
Material?

What are the specs for what you are looking for?
Diameter?
Length?
Head diameter?
Material?

Generally as I don't have my Vernier handy: first size 3/4" with approx. 0.070" shank diameter, 45 degree head at 1/8" diameter. Second size 7/8" length, about 0.080" diameter with same 45 degree head at about 5/32 diameter. These are the two prominent sizes I pulled out of my 1929. There are longer ones used for the aluminum post covers but I have those. Both have serrations on the shanks.

[quote=cabboy]The casing nails referred to from Maze are 2" and have a body diameter of .099" As well as having the incorrect taper on the head they are too big in diameter. [/quotes

Not sure why you said this as I never referred to a 2” nail and I believe I’m the only one who mentioned Maze. Maze has the following as I spoke with the president of the company . The HT100 is 1” long, has the casing type head, a .072 diameter, and made of a harder metal to help prevent bending. I attached the link that shows the HT 100 in an earlier post. They are for hard trim wood(HT, hard trim) or like the president said, they will pull the metal slightly into the wood as the head becomes almost level with the surface. The bent in metal helps hold along with the nail. He said if a customer needs a custom nail these days, they’ll have to go to China to have it made. He told me it wasn’t even worth changing the machine to change length. He also said the equipment to make the old body nails with their specific head is no longer in existence either. I will be ordering a box of the maze nails as they are the closest to original type still manufactured today. Are the heads exact? No, are they close? Yes. As I said earlier, the times have changed and some things can just not be obtained or are not worth the time and money trying to make. Many fellow restorers I converse with agree. I’ve posted the nail info to help others looking for some sort of solution, not to get in an argument or have someone insinuate I suggested an inappropriate solution. This is my last post on this subject.

Know anyone in Kuala Lumpur?

http://www.lazada.com.my/hardened-s...time=1512036984&sc=MdF4&rb=30929

Too bad there isn't a better description...

Interesting and yes more dimensional information would be helpful. Wonder about hardness level for concrete though and holding as these have minimal serrations? I am working on quotes for correct type nails and will advise.

Regarding casing nails.
I was not trying to argue or insinuate anything. I was stating the fact that casing nails heads are not actually correct so people could make informed choices. If 1" are available great but they are still not similar to original. Can someone use them by cutting and using a work around? Sure if they so choose.
All effort and information is appreciated and if anyone seems slighted, well sorry. I have enough correct nails for my car but I have others to do for other people so before I concede and use other types of nails I will investigate all sources.

So what's the consensus on nails to buy to reinstall body on new wood or old wood?

No consensus. Proper nails are not available. Ford suppliers have nails but they do not have the correct head. There is one supplier that have nails close but they are larger diameter and expensive. Casing nails mentioned are again larger diameter and longer and the head angle is not 100%. So use what you can find and work around the deficiencies. I haven't found anyone to make nails for me yet but will be looking but don't expect anything soon.