A Big Nail?? or Bormann Fuse Punch???

[MiniMe]

Found this a couple weeks ago. It looks like it was longer than it measures by looking at the end? Any help on ID would be appreciated. Thanks for looking.



Cleaned up:

 

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[Sheldon J]

Re: A Big Nail?? or Boreman Fuse Punch

Looks more like a very early RR spike to me....

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: A Big Nail?? or Boreman Fuse Punch

Your guess that it might be a Bormann fuze-punch is understandable, due to the very general resemblance ...but it is definitely not that. Rather than bore (almost) everybody by listing all the reasons, I'll focus on just one. A Bormann fuze-punch's blade-tip is pointier and much smaller than we see on your object, because the fuze-punch was intended to make only a 3/16th-inch hole in the fuze.

 

[Daedalus]

Re: A Big Nail?? or Boreman Fuse Punch

This look like an Wood wedge from what I see , but that is just a guess and just because it looks like a wedge does not mean that is what it is .
But it may give you a place to start looking .

 

[MiniMe]

Re: A Big Nail?? or Boreman Fuse Punch

Your guess that it might be a Bormann fuze-punch is understandable, due to the very general resemblance ...but it is definitely not that. Rather than bore (almost) everybody by listing all the reasons, I'll focus on just one. A Bormann fuze-punch's blade-tip is pointier and much smaller than we see on your object, because the fuze-punch was intended to make only a 3/16th-inch hole in the fuze.

Thanks for the info on the fuse punch CannonballGuy - That wasn't boring at all. Thanks for looking.

 

[creskol]

With the length of the actual "spike" portion being only about 3 1/2 inches, and the thickness being only about 1/4 of an inch, I believe that it is too small to be a railroad spike or a wedge. Additionally that style head and spike date back to the 1760-1780 time frame, and were handwrought. The head was designed for extreme holding power, wherever it may have been needed. It the early-mid years of the 19th century, this style fastener was also used on Conestoga wagons (and others) to anchor the canopy to the frame. Later, while the head design remained the same, the wedge-type shank was replaced with threads and a curled wing-nut. I may well be wrong, but that is what my guess would be.

 

[clovis97]

Great I.D.!!!!

I agree, it is a hand wrought nail.

I've read a little about nails in colonial history, and it is quite interesting. In the early colonial years, especially after Independence, and during the Embargo, nails were quite scarce.

Of course, blacksmiths were still making nails long after machine made nails were common and cheap, even into the 1900's. I'm told that Colonial Williamsburg still makes hand wrought nails today, for use in their building projects.

I've met a few woodworking traditionalists that seek out hand wrought nails, as well has square cut machine made nails. FWIW, square cut nails of any type are supposed to be far less likely to split the wood they are being driven into.

Very cool find!!!!!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

FWIW, square cut nails of any type are supposed to be far less likely to split the wood they are being driven into.

My Dad was a carpenter. He used to flatten the point on a nail to keep the wood from spitting.

 

[MiniMe]

Thank you Creskol. I think you hit the nail on the head with the ID. Really appreciated. Thanks again

Thanks Clovis - I love the find!

 

[VOL1266-X]

Mini, we dig those in Tennessee too and the blacksmiths made them in a variety of head size and shapes. I agree with Rob (Creskol). HH, Quindy.