On 09/05/2019 13:33, Jim K.. wrote:
Any tips on how to get them out without making more mess of the timber?

When hit backwards they just bend, the heads are firmly stuck :-(

Tried punching back out after the pointy end metal fatigued off
leaving the embedded nail flush but can't get it
moving!

TIA

Something I have done a bit of, reusing old wood in building
restoration, scarfing bits on to timbers full of nails etc..

You need to get a grip of the nail and pull hard. Even then it may not
come. Sometimes bashing it in a touch will loosen it abit so you can
pull it back out. There are tools called nail pullers which can be very
effective but are difficult to find now. They used to be used in
warehouses when packing cases were nailed up. I think I bought a mini
nail puller from Axminster not many years ago...
.... no, I am wrong, google tells me they are available all over the
place, so get one. otherwise it's chiseling out enough to grip then mole
grips and ways of clamping down on pincers to crowbar the things out. a
mixture of ingenuity, brutish force and patience will get you there.

TW