I'm doing some repro chests, with forged ironwork held on with nails
from the outside, clenched over on the inside. Until I find some nice
ductile iron rod, I'm tired of riveting steel!

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

Which way should I bend the nails to clench them ? Along the grain or
across it ?

Andy Dingley writes:

I'm doing some repro chests, with forged ironwork held on with nails
from the outside, clenched over on the inside. Until I find some nice
ductile iron rod, I'm tired of riveting steel!

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

Hiding the point means less scratches on hands or stuff put inside the
boxes: Do it.

Which way should I bend the nails to clench them ? Along the grain or
across it ?

Along the grain will not help stability if the wood starts to split at
the point the nail goes through, while across the grain it will still
hold, so go for across the grain.
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

Juergen Hannappel writes:

Andy Dingley writes:

[...]

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

Hiding the point means less scratches on hands or stuff put inside the
boxes: Do it.

... wich might be easily achived by holding a triangular or even flat
iron bar close to the nail, bend over that, then with one stroke of
the hamme bend the tip of the nail over the edge of the bar, remove
bar, hammer nail flat into woood...
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

Juergen is right. Experiment with the rod size to turn the point in a bit.
Old gates and board/batten doors were made this way. The trick is not to
drive the head back out.
BTW, it's "clinch", as in "clinch the deal".
Wilson


"Juergen Hannappel" wrote in message
...
Juergen Hannappel writes:

Andy Dingley writes:

[...]

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

Hiding the point means less scratches on hands or stuff put inside the
boxes: Do it.

... wich might be easily achived by holding a triangular or even flat
iron bar close to the nail, bend over that, then with one stroke of
the hamme bend the tip of the nail over the edge of the bar, remove
bar, hammer nail flat into woood...
--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 13:58:18 +0100, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

... wich might be easily achived by holding a triangular or even flat
iron bar close to the nail, bend over that,

Ah, that's a neat idea.

Come to think of it, clinch against a chunk of iron, like a sledgehammer
head, to keep the head froom backing out.
WL
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 13:58:18 +0100, Juergen Hannappel
wrote:

... wich might be easily achived by holding a triangular or even flat
iron bar close to the nail, bend over that,

Ah, that's a neat idea.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 12:39:34 +0000, Andy Dingley
wrote:

I'm doing some repro chests, with forged ironwork held on with nails
from the outside, clenched over on the inside. Until I find some nice
ductile iron rod, I'm tired of riveting steel!

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

roll the tip first.



Which way should I bend the nails to clench them ? Along the grain or
across it ?


across the grain.

I have made many shed and garden doors this way, back in the fiftys. We
turned the end of the nail over the tip of our nailset parrallel to the
grain, then set under the surface. Hope this makes sense.

Oldtimer



Andy Dingley wrote:

I'm doing some repro chests, with forged ironwork held on with nails
from the outside, clenched over on the inside. Until I find some nice
ductile iron rod, I'm tired of riveting steel!

Any advice on clenching ? Should I just bend them over, or should I
try to turn the tip downwards first, then bend ove the main length
(hiding the point)

Which way should I bend the nails to clench them ? Along the grain or
across it ?

"Wilson Lamb" wrote in message
k.net...
Juergen is right. Experiment with the rod size to turn the point in a
bit.
Old gates and board/batten doors were made this way. The trick is not to
drive the head back out.
BTW, it's "clinch", as in "clinch the deal".
Wilson

MMmmmmmmm, Wilson, it might BE "clench" where Andy is.

--
Nahmie
Those on the cutting edge bleed a lot.

A source for soft iron rod:
http://www.pureiron.com/