Back Country Nails

J

jmarston

Joined
Dec 6, 2010
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Like many of you, I enjoy watching documentary specials on people who lead their lives utilizing the skills we read about and practice in our back yards in real situations.

One of these films is "Happy People" by Werner Herzog. I highly recommend it to those who have no seen it.

In one scene, the trappers are building a new cabin and cutting nails from a spool of wire. Has anyone here done this? Does one type of wire work better than another? When you are building your shelters, do you cut your own nails or simply lug out a case of existing nails. Or even use nails at all!?

A spool of wire is certainly easier to transport and as well serves many other purposes besides nail making. What are your thoughts?
 
Most people use rope to bind things together. But it depends on the size and permanency of the shelter I would think. The nail thing is interesting. I have no idea about choosing materials or the gauge of the wire that would be preferred. Certainly if you could bore a hole in a log or logs to mate together, a strong wire could be inserted and bind things together versus making wood nails or pins. I believe nails were made by blacksmiths back in the day from heavy wire.
 
It would certainly be for a semi permanent or permanent shelter, yes. Or structure. Remote fencing even?
 
Its been a while, but I watched that show. As someone who deals with wire (as an electrician and small Hobby farmer) quite a bit, I would think that either its is a special type of wire needed for the nails or they are tempering (throw in the fire, cool in the snow/creek) the wire at the homesite. I have a bunch of #12 galvanized steel wire that I use for fencing, and I know if the piece was much over an inch or so it would bend too easily to be of use. Since it is wire size, I'd say that #10 wire is closest to a standard 16 penny framing nail
 
Nails are manufactured from coiled wire, usually a low Carbon steel. Straightening rollers feed the wire into a header which smacks a disc on the end of the wire. The cut-off apparatus is also a pinch pointer which leaves a little 4 sided pyramid on the distal end of the nail. Nails bend pretty easily if you don't hit them straight.
 
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