Guest
NAILS
It was common to see people collect and save nails after pulling them out of old lumber. Indeed, early in the westward expansion, people would sometimes burn down their old houses (particularly the doors that had a lot of nails) to salvage the nails to take with them westward. Realizing this waste, governments enacted laws to discourage this.
There are some claims that nailer boys could make 200 nails an hour. Have you ever heard the saying "Never missed a lick"? To make that many nails, indeed you couldn't afford one misapplied hammer blow. And of course they had "too many irons in the fire." Blacksmiths made some of the nails, but they were more commonly made by "nailers". Many nailers were women & children who made nails for spending money. What was the cost of the hand made nails as compared to today's manufactured nails? I remember that it was common to see people collect and save nails after pulling them out of old lumber. Later, in their spare time, people would straighten the nails by hammering against an anvil or other hard surface in the hopes to reuse them. I know that many a nail had seen several projects.
For those wanting to use correct nails listed below is a great resource for such items. The information shown was from these very nice folks.
The TREMONT NAIL CO.
OK folks you asked for it, everyone asks about the cut nails used on some of our packing crates taken to period events and shows; we always end up giving a little history about cut nails.
Nails in their crudest form date back to 3000 B.C., the Romans hand-forged them and they have been found in excavations and sunken ships from the period 500 A.D.
When our ancestors first stepped from the Mayflower onto that soil that was to become Plymouth County, they discovered a soil which was essentially sandy and difficult to cultivate. As they plowed for their first crops, they noticed that the earth yielded small deposits of crude iron ore mixed with the ooze of the swampy regions. from this ore and with crude smelters, they separated the metal from the ore and began the fashioning of nails and tools similar to those they had left behind when they sailed into the unknown.
Nailmaking in America during the Revolutionary period was confined to small shops where as many as a thousand nails per day could be hand forged by skilled "nailers". After the Revolution, demand grew rapidly, farmers and their families would hand-make nails during the winter months to supplement their incomes. Demand further increased however, and supplies of hand-made nails were insufficient.
During the late 1700's the first cut nail making machines appeared, the first machine cut and "head" a nail in one operation was invented by Ezekiel Reed of Bridgewater, MA.
The original nail factory was built on the site of an old cotton mill (Parker Mills) which had been shelled and burned by the British in the War of 1812. With the advent of the cut nail making machines came the establishment of Parker Mills, nail company in 1819, by Isaac and Jared Pratt. This later became known as the Tremont Nail Company.
From PENNYWEIGHT to PENNY (a small "d" indicates penny) Originally the terms 8d and 10d were used to denote prices of nails per hundred count.
However, due to the fluctuations of prices this significance was lost and the terms were retained to designate sizes. Example 2d = 1 inch, 8d = 2 1/2 inch, 100d = 8 inch.
Still produced are , brads, fine finish, shingle, box, clout, common, slating, boat, common rosehead, hidge, spikes, headless foundry, sheathing, firedoor clinch, floor, headless brads, chinch rosehead, wrought head, common siding and masonry, all sheet cut nails for those wanting the best available 17th century nails.
The main building in use today was constructed in 1848 on the site of the old fulling mill. Since 1819, Tremont Nail Company has endured through all the changes and hurried pace of modern industry. The same products are still being produced for customers who prefer the superior holding quality and durability of these time tested nails.
For a century and a half sheet cut nails has maintained a reputation for skilled nail cutting that has built America throughout the test of time. Tremont Nail Company is America's oldest nail manufacturer.
Well folks now you have the story, write them for a "Nail Card" and the next project you can really nail it down.
To see a neat chart with hand made nails, write to TREMONT NAIL CO. Elm Street at Route 28, P.O.Box 111, Wareham, MA 02571.
Ask for their "Old Fashioned CUT NAILS 1819" display board, there's 20 different styles of nails from this Colonial Company, originally a cotton mill in 1812 and converted to producing "cut nails" for the ship industry in 1819. Comes with a little history about nails, forged and cut, you'll find it very interesting, don't know a price as I have had my nail board for a few years.
Buck
It was common to see people collect and save nails after pulling them out of old lumber. Indeed, early in the westward expansion, people would sometimes burn down their old houses (particularly the doors that had a lot of nails) to salvage the nails to take with them westward. Realizing this waste, governments enacted laws to discourage this.
There are some claims that nailer boys could make 200 nails an hour. Have you ever heard the saying "Never missed a lick"? To make that many nails, indeed you couldn't afford one misapplied hammer blow. And of course they had "too many irons in the fire." Blacksmiths made some of the nails, but they were more commonly made by "nailers". Many nailers were women & children who made nails for spending money. What was the cost of the hand made nails as compared to today's manufactured nails? I remember that it was common to see people collect and save nails after pulling them out of old lumber. Later, in their spare time, people would straighten the nails by hammering against an anvil or other hard surface in the hopes to reuse them. I know that many a nail had seen several projects.
For those wanting to use correct nails listed below is a great resource for such items. The information shown was from these very nice folks.
The TREMONT NAIL CO.
OK folks you asked for it, everyone asks about the cut nails used on some of our packing crates taken to period events and shows; we always end up giving a little history about cut nails.
Nails in their crudest form date back to 3000 B.C., the Romans hand-forged them and they have been found in excavations and sunken ships from the period 500 A.D.
When our ancestors first stepped from the Mayflower onto that soil that was to become Plymouth County, they discovered a soil which was essentially sandy and difficult to cultivate. As they plowed for their first crops, they noticed that the earth yielded small deposits of crude iron ore mixed with the ooze of the swampy regions. from this ore and with crude smelters, they separated the metal from the ore and began the fashioning of nails and tools similar to those they had left behind when they sailed into the unknown.
Nailmaking in America during the Revolutionary period was confined to small shops where as many as a thousand nails per day could be hand forged by skilled "nailers". After the Revolution, demand grew rapidly, farmers and their families would hand-make nails during the winter months to supplement their incomes. Demand further increased however, and supplies of hand-made nails were insufficient.
During the late 1700's the first cut nail making machines appeared, the first machine cut and "head" a nail in one operation was invented by Ezekiel Reed of Bridgewater, MA.
The original nail factory was built on the site of an old cotton mill (Parker Mills) which had been shelled and burned by the British in the War of 1812. With the advent of the cut nail making machines came the establishment of Parker Mills, nail company in 1819, by Isaac and Jared Pratt. This later became known as the Tremont Nail Company.
From PENNYWEIGHT to PENNY (a small "d" indicates penny) Originally the terms 8d and 10d were used to denote prices of nails per hundred count.
However, due to the fluctuations of prices this significance was lost and the terms were retained to designate sizes. Example 2d = 1 inch, 8d = 2 1/2 inch, 100d = 8 inch.
Still produced are , brads, fine finish, shingle, box, clout, common, slating, boat, common rosehead, hidge, spikes, headless foundry, sheathing, firedoor clinch, floor, headless brads, chinch rosehead, wrought head, common siding and masonry, all sheet cut nails for those wanting the best available 17th century nails.
The main building in use today was constructed in 1848 on the site of the old fulling mill. Since 1819, Tremont Nail Company has endured through all the changes and hurried pace of modern industry. The same products are still being produced for customers who prefer the superior holding quality and durability of these time tested nails.
For a century and a half sheet cut nails has maintained a reputation for skilled nail cutting that has built America throughout the test of time. Tremont Nail Company is America's oldest nail manufacturer.
Well folks now you have the story, write them for a "Nail Card" and the next project you can really nail it down.
To see a neat chart with hand made nails, write to TREMONT NAIL CO. Elm Street at Route 28, P.O.Box 111, Wareham, MA 02571.
Ask for their "Old Fashioned CUT NAILS 1819" display board, there's 20 different styles of nails from this Colonial Company, originally a cotton mill in 1812 and converted to producing "cut nails" for the ship industry in 1819. Comes with a little history about nails, forged and cut, you'll find it very interesting, don't know a price as I have had my nail board for a few years.
Buck
