Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

wrote in message
...
Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark


Needle nose pliers as you mention is one trick. Another is to use a piece of
cardboard. Push the nail through, start hammering. Once the nail is started,
rip away the cardboard and finish nailing. Air nailer is yet another option
in some cases.

Strips of paper or cardboard. Poke the nail through and use the strips
as a holder while you start the nail. Once set in 1/2 or 3/4 of the way
tear the paper away and set the nail in.

I have used Pieces of paper a lot on the past for holding those small
nails - I find Drywall tape works well.

This past Xmas I received in my stocking a tool designed for those
small pesty nails. It works great.

http://homehardware.netservices.ca/p..._0001_0056.asp


wrote:
Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:59:29 -0600, wrote:

Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

Use a new pencil with an erasor. With your exacto knife, cut a
vertical slit through the erasor, down to the metal band that holds it
to the pencil. Make sure it's in the middle.

Put the nail down into the slit, hold the pencil against the wall,
weather stripping, or whatever, and pound the nail until it's firmly
in enough to pull the pencil away, and then finish pounding the nail
the rest of the way in.

Not only does this hold the nail, it keeps your hands and fingers far
away from that hammer head.

HTH.


Maxi

Email addy upon request.

what a great idea..
"maxinemovies" email on wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:59:29 -0600, wrote:

Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

Use a new pencil with an erasor. With your exacto knife, cut a
vertical slit through the erasor, down to the metal band that holds it
to the pencil. Make sure it's in the middle.

Put the nail down into the slit, hold the pencil against the wall,
weather stripping, or whatever, and pound the nail until it's firmly
in enough to pull the pencil away, and then finish pounding the nail
the rest of the way in.

Not only does this hold the nail, it keeps your hands and fingers far
away from that hammer head.

HTH.


Maxi

Email addy upon request.

--On Friday, February 17, 2006 11:59 AM -0600 wrote:

Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I just searched google for nail holder, and came up with a couple of
different commercial options:

http://www.mcfeelys.com/product.asp?productID=NGA-0010

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=P roduct&ID=70218

The paper or cardboard method sounds like a handy trick for doing a few
nails, but a bit of a pain for bigger jobs. I like the idea of the pencil
eraser. Why not get another use out of an item you're likely to have
on-hand anyway?

mark
_____________________________
Mark Cato

I use the pliers.

Several great suggestions already. I like the pencil one. May have to try
that.

Until now I have used a pair of surgical forceps. I keep a pair in my tackle
box for removing hooks and they do occasional duty for other things.

- wrote:

I use the pliers.

Good point. I don't regularly use nails that small, so I tend to suffer
through. If people feel pliers are a bit much to fiddle with, it's good to
have alternatives.

mark

Colbyt wrote:
Several great suggestions already. I like the pencil one. May have to try
that.

Until now I have used a pair of surgical forceps. I keep a pair in my tackle
box for removing hooks and they do occasional duty for other things.
I use the same thing only mine lock. I think these are called
hemostats. They are great for small work. I'm always looking for even
smaller ones called mosquitos.
The eraser idea is great. I've been in clients houses trying to pound
small nails with my tiny pliers all at home.
richard

some place along the way I picked up a couple of pairs of hemostats (a
small and medium size) and they work exceptionally well with the small
teeth in the gripping end, and the ratching clamp on the handle
end...wouldn't do a job with the small nails with out 'em.

Darwin

On 17 Feb 2006 13:12:17 -0800, "DAC" wrote:

some place along the way I picked up a couple of pairs of hemostats (a
small and medium size) and they work exceptionally well with the small
teeth in the gripping end, and the ratching clamp on the handle
end...wouldn't do a job with the small nails with out 'em.

Darwin

I bet I still have a pair of hemostats from the 70s. We didn't use
them for holding nails back then.

Glad you folks like the pencil idea. I can't take credit for it. I
think I saw it on tv many many years ago. Always remembered it. I've
got a pencil with a slit erasor in my tool box ever since.


Maxi

Email addy upon request.

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:42:09 GMT, "Colbyt"
wrote:

Several great suggestions already. I like the pencil one. May have to try
that.

Until now I have used a pair of surgical forceps. I keep a pair in my
tackle
box for removing hooks and they do occasional duty for other things.


Yes, lots of good ideas. I like the pencil one too, I will give it a
try. You said forceps. Are those the things that looks sort of like
a plyers and lock together? (I'm no expert on surgery supplies).
I am looking at those webpages too.

Thanks to all.

Please post any other ideas from other people. I think we are all
learning something here. I know I'm not the only person to have
troubles with those nails.

Mark

Plastic hair comb, the cheap kind you get in motel rooms with the little
soaps.

wrote:

Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark
Hi,
Needle nose plier or pair of tweezers and rubber band.... Now you got
the idea.

maxinemovies wrote:
I bet I still have a pair of hemostats from the 70s. We didn't use
them for holding nails back then.
Oh Like Wow! That's what that black sticky stuff is on my hemostat. I
forgot...

I bought an small electric staple gun a couple of years ago that will also
handle brads.
They come in a strip just like the staples do. You just take out the regular
staples and load a strip on brads. There is one side of the stapler that is
designated for the brads. I got it at Sears.

Charlie

wrote in message
...
Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

wrote

Does someone sell a special tool for this?

A trim nail punch. I bought mine at a siding wholesaler for about $5 many
years ago, but I do believe I seen them in the box stores.

http://malco.malcoproducts.com/produ...inyl/index.asp

On 17 Feb 2006 16:00:29 -0800, "spudnuty" wrote:


maxinemovies wrote:
I bet I still have a pair of hemostats from the 70s. We didn't use
them for holding nails back then.
Oh Like Wow! That's what that black sticky stuff is on my hemostat. I
forgot...

You know what they say. If you remember the 60s (or in my case the
70s)... lol. Groovy, man.


Maxi

Email addy upon request.

wrote in message
...
Of all the years I have built things, including whole buildings, I
have never found a good way to use those tiny 1/2 inch long nails.
I decided to get ambitious and put some weather stripping around my
door today and they have these half inch nails. I have big fingers.
They are a pain in the ass to try to hold and then pound in. I
suppose I could beat my fingers bloody, and I know that a needle nose
plyers holds them even thought they are often at an angle and that is
not the ideal solution. Does someone sell a special tool for this?
Or is there a trick no one ever taught me?

I'll take a 6 inch pole barn spike any day over these stupid little
things.

Mark

The tool is called a brad pusher. It's a hollow sleeve which is held up off
of the solid rod of the screwdriver-like handle and held up with a light
spring.
You just drop a brad in the end and push it in with the handle. It handles
a
wide variety of brad/ small nail sizes.

sorry guys for me it was in the 80's....got my hemos (three different
sizes)and a bunch of dental picks from a flea market. btw... the picks work
really well releasing the connectors on cars wiring harnesses.

Does someone sell a special tool for this?

Yep - it's called a "cross peen" or warrington hammer.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...t=1,53193&ap=1
Hold the tack, and the narrow head of the hammer can hit the tack
without smashing the surrounding fingers.
Seems easier to me than getting an extra tool to hold brads/tacks.
Andy

How about a small magnet?

Steve

On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 01:07:41 -0500, "tom&kel"
wrote:

sorry guys for me it was in the 80's....got my hemos (three different
sizes)and a bunch of dental picks from a flea market. btw... the picks work
really well releasing the connectors on cars wiring harnesses.


Mine actually served active duty from the 60s through the mid 90s.

Another reason I use the pencil is its length. If I need to put a nail
(any size nail) a few inches taller than I can reach, the pencil and
the hammer give me the extra "height." I just slap the pencil flat on
the wall with the nail in position and reach the hammer up there to
tap it partway in. Then pull the pencil down. The hammer takes it from
there.

Told my husband about this thread and his first reaction was comb. So
many clever ideas on this newsgroup. So glad to be here.


Maxi

Email addy upon request.

Hire one of Santa's elves, work is kind of slow this time of year and
Mrs Claus laid some of them off, bitch.-Jitney

"spudnuty" wrote in message
ups.com...

I use the same thing only mine lock. I think these are called
hemostats. They are great for small work. I'm always looking for even
smaller ones called mosquitos.

Yeah! That is what I meant to say hemostat. What size is a mosquitos?