the Science Channel or Discovery Station or the History Channel ran a special on how screws and nails were made….
by hand.. semi automation.. and the full automation proccesses…
and how far back they go…. (the fasteners and proccesses)
the more comprehensive the information the more gooder…
found tidbits but it isn’t nearly enough information…
I can’t seem to locate which one ran the show… or which series it was…
perhaps one of you guys can remember the origins and the process….
or any part of it…
just trying to help a friend…
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming <!—-><!—-><!—->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
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History Channel highlights hardware - Brief Article | Home Channel ...
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?
Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
I heard nails were so valuable back when that sailors would pull them from their own ships to trade for sex when they got into island ports.
k
Might be true.Read a book that was a fictional recreation of life in the early 1810's. I forgot the authors name, but it was based on a diary from that time and then is made it into a story. He as written a lot of books on history from the 1800-1850's including one on barns and I think one on tools.Anyway he mentioned that it was common that during that time if a build was beyond repair that they would burn it down so that they could shift through it and recalim the nails. That the hand wrought nails where very expensive..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
That was true on two fronts, the colonies had to get nails from England, we had no forges yet, nor Iron ore. And England was $$$ and time.
Then on the westward trips, the same shortage of ore and ability to make steel from iron without a "furnace".Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.
Bill-I believe you are thinking of Eric Sloane. I have a number of his books and highly recommend them to anyone interested in 'ancient' carpentry and the origins, wood, building, etc..http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Eric+Sloane&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&hl=enAlso, while I'm at it, I'd like to recommend the following book, One Good Turn, about the origins of the screw thread and how instrumental it has been in the development of industry and construction:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Good_Turn
Yes it was Eric Sloane.And I was going to mention that there was a book out about the history of the screw, but forgot to..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Perhaps that is how the term "getting nailed" came to existence Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
Not to mention getting screwed... Ba da bump.
And what about square rebar? I've got some saved from a commercial reno that looks like it was forged by the village blacksmith. When did they use that stuff?
k
Not sure about square rebar, but when I replaced my foundation It was reinforced with driiveshafts and other ancient auto parts. Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
That "rebar" reminds me of a slab that I once had to bust up. Embedded were one metal rake head, a couple of pitchfork heads, and a bunch of old horseshoes. Pour a slab and clean out the barn, all in one day.
What, no Red Sox jerseys?
still looking for the full blown show on the this hardware...
keep in mind it was way more than article... it was at least an hour long perhaps even two....
it even had a archeology segment of digs in England and Europe with bazillion year old hardware finds...
maybe it was on PBS......
where ever it was I can't seem to find it...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
OK. Here's the straight dope on how screws and nails are made:
These are both round things. Round things are made with an engine lathe. Screws are made with a "V" shaped cutter attached to to the carriage to cut the threads.
A typical nail is machined from steel rod. This is actually a wasteful process since a lot of the metal -- except for the head -- is cut away for the shank. In Latin America, rebar is often used to trim expenses. This rebar is easy to come by at construction sites after the inspection and before the pour. [See recent earthquake damage in Peru for proof.]
The final point in this brief essay is getting the point on the nail. A milling machine is used for this.
~Peter
add China to the Peru list...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Peter,I beg to differ on how nails are manufactured. Look closely at a nail and it is clear that the point was forged, not milled. Think about it...milling would be slow and hugely expensive. The heads on nails and screws are cold-forged in a die, which accounts for the flash at midline visible under the heads of nails. The lines on the shank just under the head are from the gripper that clamps the wire as the head is formed. Screws are cold-headed from the end, which forms the head shape and the recess in a single operation. Both products start out as huge rolls of wire.Most modern screws use rolled threads, not cut threads. Rolled threads are stronger and faster to make than cut threads. While one could make screws on an engine lathe, commercial quantities are made on specialized machines. Clipping and forging are faster than milling and turning, and forging imparts valuable strength to the metal.Bill
Now there is a well known shortcut to making screws. What is done is to machine -- on a lathe of course -- the head and shank of the screw. Then they take a length of triangular shaped wire and wrap it around the shank to form the treads. Then, of course, they weld it somehow together.
Nails are obviously not made from wire. As an electrician, I know for an undisputed fact that wire comes on spools, coils and reels. And as it is wound on reels, etc., it becomes bent. Therefore, if nails were made from wire, they would all be bent. I"ve proved my point.
~Peter
The earliest nails were square, and they were hand forged. I saw this on some documentary some time back - discovery channel or something. That's why they were so expensive, because each one was hand forged.
In the Wild West / Little House on the Prarie days, some regions passed laws against burning down your house when you moved, because people would burn the house to retrieve the nails.
I don't know how screws are made but I'm pretty sure they're forged. --------------------------------------------------------
Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at AWorkOfWood.com
It is clear to me now. Thanks to the oracle without whom we would grovel in ignorance.Bill
"Therefore, if nails were made from wire, they would all be bent. I"ve proved my point."All them that I have seen are bent. But they straight them out when they sell them. But as soon as you hit them they go back to their natural bent state..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I thought nails were made from drawn wire and forged
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well at least he didn't find Jimmy or some other "family" friend....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Adds a new meaning to "getting nailed".
Edit: should have gone ahead and read all posts first.
Edited 4/27/2008 6:22 pm ET by rasconc
So is that the origin of the phrase "Getting nailed"?
And did it evolve to "Getting screwed" as time went by and the technology of fasteners evolved?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!