====+========+========+=============+==============
Size| Length | Gauge | Approximate | Advance Over
| Inches | Number | Number to | Base Price
| | | the Pound |per 100 Pounds
----+--------+--------+-------------+--------------
2d | 1 | 15 | 876 | $0.70
3d | 1¼ | 14 | 568 | .45
4d | 1½ | 12½ | 316 | .30
5d | 1¾ | 12½ | 271 | .30
6d | 2 | 11½ | 181 | .20
7d | 2¼ | 11½ | 161 | .20
8d | 2½ | 10¼ | 106 | .10
9d | 2¾ | 10¼ | 96 | .10
10d | 3 | 9 | 69 | .05
12d | 3¼ | 9 | 63 | .05
16d | 3½ | 8 | 49 | .05
20d | 4 | 6 | 31 | Base
30d | 4½ | 5 | 24 | Base
40d | 5 | 4 | 18 | Base
50d | 5½ | 3 | 14 | Base
60d | 6 | 2 | 11 | Base
====+========+========+=============+==============
Common wire nails in sizes from twentypenny to sixtypenny are sold at
base price, say $2 per keg, the smaller sizes costing an advance over
the base price. Thus, an eightpenny common nail would cost 10 cents
additional, or $2.10 per hundred pounds, while a twopenny nail would
cost $2.70 per hundred pounds, etc. The present advance above the base
price on 100-pound kegs for the several sizes is also given in this
table. All wire nails can be procured “barbed” at an additional advance
of 15 cents above base and extra prices.
The relative sizes of the common wire nail are best learned from
samples of the same, but Fig. 2, which shows these nails full size,
from sixtypenny to twopenny, clearly indicates their proportions.
[Illustration: FIG. 3]
=6. Wire Nails for Special Purposes.=—Wire nails as well as wrought or
cut nails are made in a variety of forms especially suitable for the
specific purpose for which they are intended. The several kinds of wire
nails in common use are illustrated in Fig. 3.
A nail used about buildings for putting the trim, or finishing work,
together is illustrated at (_a_), and from its use is known as a
=finishing nail=. These nails are used almost exclusively for this
purpose and are very light. They have a small head, so that when they
are set into the wood with a nail set, a very small opening is left for
puttying.
Another nail having practically the same use as the one just described
is designated as a =casing nail=, and is shown at (_b_). This nail is a
trifle lighter in gauge than the finishing nail, and from the fact that
it is countersunk under the head, it draws better than the finishing
nail. The fivepenny and sixpenny sizes are used for putting on siding.
The =common wire brad=, shown at (_c_), is used for practically the
same purposes as the regular finishing nail, but it is from two to four
gauges heavier. This wire brad is useful when a heavy nail with a small
head is required, particularly in hardwood, where a light finishing
nail will not penetrate without bending.
The =flooring brad=, shown at (_d_), is a nail used almost exclusively
for flooring. This nail is made of heavier gauge wire than other
nails of this type, and drives easily, even in hard, maple floor.
The construction of the head of this type of nail allows for severe
“drawing” without splitting the tongue of the flooring boards.
The =fine-wire nail=, shown at (_e_), commonly called a =lath nail=, is
made in four sizes and is used for nailing lath to studding. Owing to
its smoothness, cleanliness, and easy-driving qualities, this type of
nail is extensively used.
A short, heavy nail, the whole length of which is barbed to increase
its holding qualities, is shown at (_f_). This nail is known as a
=barbed roofing nail=, and is generally used for nailing tin roofs and
ready, or prepared, roofing of every description. It is also used with
tin roofing caps.
At (_g_) is shown a =slating nail=. This type of nail is formed from
heavy gauge wire, and has a flat head that is large in proportion to
its length. This nail is used only for slating, but is not so durable
as the cut nail made for this purpose. Nails of this kind are made in
only five sizes.
A type of nail used for attaching wooden shingles, and known as the
=shingle nail=, is shown at (_h_). This nail is seldom carried in
stock, however, as threepenny and fourpenny common nails answer the
purpose. These shingle nails are clean and easily driven, but are not
so durable as cut nails.
A very heavy nail of the same character as the common wire nail, but
made much heavier, in order to increase the holding qualities and to
provide greater durability, is known as the =fence nail=. This nail is
made as shown at (_i_).
At (_j_) is shown a =clinch nail= that is manufactured from soft
wire or annealed hard wire. This nail answers the same purpose as
the old-style wrought, or clinch-cut, nail commonly used in the
construction of batten doors, etc. The metal being very soft at the
end of the nail, allows the point to be bent and driven back into the
wood to form the clinch. These nails do not differ from the common wire
nail, except in the form of the head and the material from which they
are made, as will be seen from Fig. 3 (_j_) and Fig. 2.
There is a form of headless wire nail, known as a =barbed dowel-pin=,
which is made as shown in Fig. 3 (_k_). This type of nail, or dowel,
is used for doweling through the mortises and tenons of sash, blinds,
and frames of every description. In the mill, it has displaced the
wooden dowel used in former times. The length of pin to be employed is
regulated by the thickness of the wood to be secured, as the pins are
used ¼ inch shorter than the thickness of the woodwork.
[Illustration: FIG. 4]
An exceptionally heavy nail, or spike, is made from heavy wire or round
bar. These spikes are used for heavy construction work, such as splined
flooring, for slow-burning mill construction, and for bridge flooring.
They are made with both chisel points, as shown in Fig. 4, and diamond
points, and in ordering them, the kind of point, as well as the style
of head wanted should be specified. Spikes of this kind are made in
all sizes from tenpenny, which is of No. 6 gauge and 3 inches long, to
spikes ⅜ inch in diameter and 12 inches long.
=7. Galvanized Nails and Spikes.=—Nails and spikes, either cut or
wire, that have been dipped into molten zinc and become coated with
this metal are termed =galvanized=. By this process they are rendered
practically rust-proof. Cut or wire galvanized nails can be obtained
in the same sizes and types as ordinary nails, and if dealers do
not regularly carry them in stock, they will as a rule have them
galvanized to order. In order to secure durability, it is advisable
to use galvanized nails in places that are exposed to dampness, as in
shingling, in slating, in fence building, or in structures erected near
the seashore, as it has been proved by numerous tests that ordinary
nails rust through in such places in a few years. The galvanized nails
cost from $1.50 to $3 more per keg than the plain cut or wire nails.
The cheaper grades of galvanized nails are frequently coated only with
lead, and will not withstand the government test; that is, dipping them
into vitriol. A simple way to test the coating of a galvanized nail is
to rub the nail on a piece of white paper. A lead-coated nail will mark
the paper the same as a lead pencil and should be rejected, as it is
only a sham and has no redeeming qualities.