Nails are one of those commodities that no one can do without.
Little boys love them although they tend to abuse them rather than use them; Dads love them because they 'fix' so many things.
Carpenters love them because, take away the nails and there is hardly a job left they can do.
Even some Moms love them, because it offers something to hang things like aprons on.
There are just so many different nails on the market today that it's rather bewildering.
Gone are the days when you went into the old general dealer in rural areas and said: "Give us a pound of 4 inch nails.
" No, today it's all fancy.
Nails have names and even grander, they have specific uses and even more grand, they are packed in plastic bags.
Oh, man, how the times have changed...
"Och, you want to fix a metal sheet to a board then, Laddie?" "Then you will be needing clout nails, won't you?" "Clout nails?" "Yes, well those are long thin nails with a large head that actually acts as a fastener and avoids the nail pulling through the material.
" What is very interesting these days is the variety of decorative nails on the market, called 'clavos' nails.
These range from furniture decoration to door decorations.
Some of the door decoration varieties are actually handmade and they come in various sizes up to a size fit to decorate a castle door.
Furniture decoration by means of hardware is also very popular particularly in dining room furniture and leather furniture where a variety of decorating nails are available to finish off the upholstery job.
Another interesting nail is the corrugated nail, which is a wide nail rather than being long and is corrugated.
These nails are used to bind two cross pieces of wood, together with glue and a fine job they do too, particularly on work benches and shelving in the garage.
Nails are not all made to be hammered home with a hammer - certain nails, like concrete nails, can actually be driven home by shooting them into a wall with a gun using a .
22 cartridge.
So much easier than hitting the old thumb a couple of times.
There are also a variety of roofing nails all purpose-made.
So, there are nails to fix corrugated iron sheets to wooden trusses, complete with water proof washers, as there are nails to be used to fix asphalt tiles to a roof.
These nails can also be used to fix shingles as they have a large flat head which acts as a fastener and won't fully penetrate the tile.
There is hardly a place where a nail or two is not used, be it in the house, on the farm, in the shop, even in the church.
There are reportedly more than 2000 varieties of nails and the size is determined by measuring its length.
England used to be the largest manufacturers of nails and nails were very scarce in the USA at the time of the American Revolution, so homeowners used to make their own nails using their fireplaces as furnaces.
Even Thomas Jefferson was known to make his own nails.
(I wonder if they were called presidential nails, maybe used to put his "throne" together?) Today the USA is the biggest manufacturer of nails - maybe because they have so many wooden houses?
Little boys love them although they tend to abuse them rather than use them; Dads love them because they 'fix' so many things.
Carpenters love them because, take away the nails and there is hardly a job left they can do.
Even some Moms love them, because it offers something to hang things like aprons on.
There are just so many different nails on the market today that it's rather bewildering.
Gone are the days when you went into the old general dealer in rural areas and said: "Give us a pound of 4 inch nails.
" No, today it's all fancy.
Nails have names and even grander, they have specific uses and even more grand, they are packed in plastic bags.
Oh, man, how the times have changed...
"Och, you want to fix a metal sheet to a board then, Laddie?" "Then you will be needing clout nails, won't you?" "Clout nails?" "Yes, well those are long thin nails with a large head that actually acts as a fastener and avoids the nail pulling through the material.
" What is very interesting these days is the variety of decorative nails on the market, called 'clavos' nails.
These range from furniture decoration to door decorations.
Some of the door decoration varieties are actually handmade and they come in various sizes up to a size fit to decorate a castle door.
Furniture decoration by means of hardware is also very popular particularly in dining room furniture and leather furniture where a variety of decorating nails are available to finish off the upholstery job.
Another interesting nail is the corrugated nail, which is a wide nail rather than being long and is corrugated.
These nails are used to bind two cross pieces of wood, together with glue and a fine job they do too, particularly on work benches and shelving in the garage.
Nails are not all made to be hammered home with a hammer - certain nails, like concrete nails, can actually be driven home by shooting them into a wall with a gun using a .
22 cartridge.
So much easier than hitting the old thumb a couple of times.
There are also a variety of roofing nails all purpose-made.
So, there are nails to fix corrugated iron sheets to wooden trusses, complete with water proof washers, as there are nails to be used to fix asphalt tiles to a roof.
These nails can also be used to fix shingles as they have a large flat head which acts as a fastener and won't fully penetrate the tile.
There is hardly a place where a nail or two is not used, be it in the house, on the farm, in the shop, even in the church.
There are reportedly more than 2000 varieties of nails and the size is determined by measuring its length.
England used to be the largest manufacturers of nails and nails were very scarce in the USA at the time of the American Revolution, so homeowners used to make their own nails using their fireplaces as furnaces.
Even Thomas Jefferson was known to make his own nails.
(I wonder if they were called presidential nails, maybe used to put his "throne" together?) Today the USA is the biggest manufacturer of nails - maybe because they have so many wooden houses?
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