Why Carpenters Used to Set Nails on Fire

[Sedalia Dave]

 

 

 

[Michigan Slim]

I use soap on wood screws. Never messed with nails.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

So back in the day, mid 60's,  as a teenager, my dad was a superintendent on housing tracts being built in California. My brother and friend were framers. This experiment is way wrong but close. We used real gas not todays water. Small can filled with wax chunks, add gas. Dissolved quickly. Open a new keg/box of 16p nails pour some of the mixture over the nails. Light it on fire. Flip the box lids shut after a bit to smother the fire. Let set until nails were cool. The other half of this was to use a framing hammer. Not a roofing ax. We used a 28 oz hammer with a 16" handle. None of this 4 whacks stuff. Set, hit, and in. 1 real whack.

The issue was the Union didn't like piece work. We got $.00 /SF. And the hammers we used were also illegal according to the Union. This got the houses framed much faster, more money earned. And yes you could grab a stud and pull it off the plate with no effort. 

[Alpo]

He sounded so surprised that the bright common did not want to pull.

 

I always thought they weren't supposed to come out. That was the purpose.

 

If I nail THIS piece of wood to THAT piece of wood it's because I want THIS piece of wood to be attached to THAT piece of wood. Not to come loose.

[John Kloehr]

3 hours ago, irish ike, SASS #43615 said:

So back in the day, mid 60's,  as a teenager, my dad was a superintendent on housing tracts being built in California. My brother and friend were framers. This experiment is way wrong but close. We used real gas not todays water. Small can filled with wax chunks, add gas. Dissolved quickly. Open a new keg/box of 16p nails pour some of the mixture over the nails. Light it on fire. Flip the box lids shut after a bit to smother the fire. Let set until nails were cool. The other half of this was to use a framing hammer. Not a roofing ax. We used a 28 oz hammer with a 16" handle. None of this 4 whacks stuff. Set, hit, and in. 1 real whack.

The issue was the Union didn't like piece work. We got $.00 /SF. And the hammers we used were also illegal according to the Union. This got the houses framed much faster, more money earned. And yes you could grab a stud and pull it off the plate with no effort. 

Today, vinyl-coated sinkers are a better choice. Especially when compared to waxed nails which can pull off the plate with no effort.

 

The vinyl coating does act as a lubricant when driving, and then as a "glue" if driven properly. A firm blow to start it, 2 more full swings to seat it. This causes the vinyl coating to melt from friction heat and then grip better as it cools. This is much easier with a framing hammer (aka waffle) than with a finishing hammer. Can be done with just the starting blow and one good whack but this is hard on the elbow. Or easy if using soft Home Depot studs rather than quality framing lumber.

[Utah Bob #35998]

I heard they invented the nail gun.

I can honestly say I haven’t tossed a lit match into a can of gasoline since I was 8 years old.

Edited February 15 by Utah Bob #35998

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

9 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

 

We just used bar soap 

[John Kloehr]

6 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

I heard they invented the nail gun.

I have one of those. Need a bigger compressor. I would be faster with a hammer when doing decking. Probably would be faster when framing too, just replacing a few deck boards is what I need to do every now and then.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

when you drive by homes being built they all use nail guns. Talk about heavy and hard on your arm/shoulder.