Antique & Modern Nail age and history questions & answers.

This article series describes antique and modern cut nails focusing on hand wrought and cut nails used in wood frame construction or interior finishing or carpentry work.

Companion articles in this series describes and illustrates antique & modern hardware: door knobs, latches, hinges, window latches, hardware, nails & screws can help determine a building's age by noting how those parts were fabricated: by hand, by machine, by later generations of machine.

How to Clean Up Antique Nails, Spikes, Iron Hardware

On 2019-01-17 by Diana - mud-encased nail age - found at Mill Bay Mangonui New Zealand

Question: How to Clean & Preserve Antique Spikes & Nails

2019/01/14 Diana said:

I found this nail imbedded in mud in a tidal bay in New Zealand where sailing ships would anchor to offload goods and load timber.

[Click to enlarge any image]

This area was visited by, whalers, Maori, as well captains bringing in supplies. There would have been a wharf as well as settlers homes Around the bay.

As can be seen the nail is covered in stuff which is slowly breaking off now that the nail is out off the salty mud it has rested in for many years.

I would like to preserve the nail but am not sure how to do that.

It measures 12 inches in length.

This article was found at Mill Bay, Mangonui, Northland, New Zealand.

I will definitely try derusting with vinegar. Thanks for the advice. I will post the finished result.

Regards Diana

Reply: Cleaning & preserving old iron spikes and nails

Thanks for the interesting photo and query, Diana.

Indeed there are plenty of bays in New Zealand that might host nails from old ships and early settlers.

We'd appreciate knowing whether you're on North or South Island and also the name of the bay if that's not going to expose the bay area to un-wanted visitors. We've visited a great number of coastal bays in New Zealand, mostly on South Island but also some in the North. We looked as far south as Stewart Island and some of the smaller islands nearby.

Your 12-inch spike is a good candidate for a dock nail.

• Mild acids: Vinegar for cleaning old metal: A widely-used cleaner for rusted old iron artifacts such as nails and spikes as well as tools is a soak in household vinegar.
  
  Watch out: Stay away from stronger, more-corrosive artifacts.

When you've got the item rather clean, do NOT try to remove hard rusty scale as you will further damage the item and besides hard rust is rather stable. You might however brush off softer coatings with a soft brush.

Here is a nice reference on the care and cleaning of iron artifacts:

• CARE & CLEANING OF IRON [PDF] Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) Notes 9/6, retrieved 2019/01/14 original source: www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/canadian-conservation-institute-notes/care-iron.html
  
• Molasses and water for cleaning old iron artifacts?
  
  Watch out: While its use is contradicted by historic artifact restorers, I've seen that one of your neighbours, an Aussie restorer has had some success soaking old iron artifacts in a mixture of molasses and water. Maybe 50:50, soak for 1-3 weeks, then if needed soak further in a fresh molasses and water mix, then rinse with household vinegar.

For less severe situations this stain removal article from the U.S. Smithsonian Institution is useful

• Smithsonian, STAIN REMOVAL, MUSEUM CONSERVATION [PDF] (2013) Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, retrieved 2019/04/15 original source: www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/stains.html

I also like

• CARING for YOUR METAL OBJECTS from the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK - original source: www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/caring-for-your-metal-objects/

For larger scale iron item conservation this New Zealand authority is quite helpful:

• Mandeno, Willie, CONSERVATION OF IRON AND STEELWORK IN HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND MACHINERY MAINTENANCE HANDBOOK [PDF], Department of Conservation, Te Papa Atawhai, Willie L. Mandeno Opus International Consultants Ltd, PO Box 12003, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand. Email: willie.mandeno@opus.co.nz. Retrieved 2019/01/14 original source: https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sap247entire.pdf

 

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On 2019-05-30 by JamesMcKenna

Thanks DanJoe, It was indeed in a large beam of timber that was floating off the shore. I pulled it out by hand so loose it was. It's 7.5 inches in length with those ripples running the entire length. I pulled the timber ashore and stashed it above the high water mark so I can go back and take a picture of it although it is in a remote part of the shoreline that is hard to access. Will come back with more later. Thanks for your reply

On 2019-05-30 by (mod) -

James,

Thank you for a very interesting nail photo. It's possible that it did cross the Atlantic of course not by swimming or floating but buoyed by wood.

What's interesting and unusual are those regularly spaced ribs which may have been made deliberately to avoid withdrawal that is to create withdrawal resistance. That might help us or other readers make a suggestion of what the nail was for. Straighten. It looks as if it would be more than 6 in long it's a pretty big spike. Probably securing or nailed into a Timber.

On 2019-05-30 14:43:29.999177 by JamesMcKenna

I found this in a piece of timber that floated ashore on the south west tip of Ireland. Because of the Gulf Stream it is possible it crossed the Atlantic

IMAGE LOST by older version of Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

 

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