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.

FAQs on Finding the Age of Nails

These questions & answers about determining the age of nails and other building hardware were posted originally at the topic home page:

NAILS, AGE & HISTORY - home - be sure to review that article.

Also see the nail age determination questions and answers suggested

at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY - use this key to guess at the age of your nail or spike

[Click to enlarge any image]

 

 

 

 

 

Split nail found in timber in 820s restoration

The nail was found when de-nailing a baulk of timber during the restoration of a 1820's building in Sunderland. The original owner was a shipbuilder therefore the baulk may have come from an earlier wooden ship.

Any ideas on the distortion? 2023-03-11 by Colin

Reply:

Colin's additional questions and photos can now be seen

at NAIL SPLITS & CRACKS vs AGE

where we discuss in depth how to use splits in a nail to help determine its age.

 

Flat head tacks found in old painting

Hello! So happy for this website! I have an old painting probably from Europe somewhere. I would like to track down where it was made. Any ideas where those nails are from? And in what time? Both I can take with a magnet. Thank you so much! 2022-07-22 by Kerem

Reply:

@Kerem,

Great photo of tacks.

You may see above on this page and in this article series at the very first nail making machines were in fact made to produce tacks.

In your photo I see regular Notch marks across the shaft of the tack under the head where the machine gripped the shank of the tack in order to stamp that flat head on it. Seeing those marks and the fine and regularly tapered point I think these are fairly modern tacks.

You can't pinpoint these to a specific country but it might be worth posting an image of the painting itself as someone may recognize it and knowing that we might know more about its origin.

For Conservation Wiki, David Goist wrote "Historical Review of Nails and Tacks" though it does not add a lot of detail beyond what we have published here.

One note from Goist is helpful regarding your question:

"Mr. Holland stated that there are some small forming differences between British- and American-made tacks. Greater differences exist in the rest of Europe and the world in general. Some European and Asian tacks are made from square-rolled wire and are not at all like American cut tacks." - Goist, at https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Stretchers_and_Strainers:_Materials_and_Equipment#Historical_Review_of_Nails_and_Tacks 2022/07/22 -

Excerpt Copy at HISTORICAL REVIEW OF NAILS AND TACKS [PDF] - excerpting Goist on Nails & Tacks in the conservation-wiki.com article on stretchers & strainers.

Let's see if we can find Mr. Goist's similar work:

Goist, David, Historical Review of Nails and Tacks" in the Painting Conservation Catalog, Vol. II, Paintings Specialty Group. American Institute for Conservation.

 

Portland Maine bronze spike may be from a ship timber

Found this on the beach near Portland, Maine. It’s about 5.5 inches long and weighs 103 grams. I think it’s bronze; it’s not magnetic. My guess is it’s a ~1800 ship spike. Am I close? 2022-07-09 by St

Reply:

@St,

That's certainly a reasonable guess. If you look at the tip closely can you see whether it was broken in that funny shape or whether it has been cut?

Follow up:

@InspectApedia-911, it looks like it might have been worn away. It’s concave, with a little extra pitting. Might be able to see better in this picture.

Reply:

@St,

Thanks that's a great photo. It's worth noting the type of tip on the nail. It seems to be a simple wedge type. It would make sense to have found this bronze Spike in a ship's timber.

Square headed tapering nails with center rib found in 1869 farm house stairs

Hello! We are attempting to prove age on our farm house. The deed says 1869 but I have plat records showing a dwelling in the same spot going back to 1855 as well as the grant records of the original owners and settlers of our sector of our town ship( not its not an amazing discovery but I'm enthralled with it lol)

I am convinced our kitchen area was the original dwelling. A log cabin. Our stairs have these nails in them. Could you help me date them? I've had a hard time matching them exactly. The photo shows a side view of an entire nail as well as the head of one still Installed. Much appreciated! 2022-05-01 by Kami horricks

Reply:

@Kami horricks,

The straight -tapering sides on that nice nail and that raised center rib tell us something about its era of production

Details are at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY - use this key to guess at the age of your nail or spike

 

May be a clout nail?

I found an old nail thats is apx 2 in long, with a hexagonal rectangle head. People in the Colorado rockies with nails were abundant from 1858 onward. May be a clout nail? Any help with identifying its use or age would be appreciated. 2022-04-17 by Charles

Reply:

@Charles,

12 mill is a reasonable guess. More details see

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

Included there are some specific nail comparisons including clout nails, using some reproductions and measurements as examples.

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

 

Too much rust prevents age guess

Hi we found this 3” mail in our back yard in Green Valley, south of Tucson, AZ. 2022-04-04 by Joan Jorgensen

...

Reply:

@Joan Jorgensen,

Unfortunately that nail is so rusted as to offer only a few clues about its history:

- look for any splits along the length of the shaft as a clue about iron fibre directory (details above on this page)

- examine that round head for signs of machine fabrication

 

Too much rust means guessing history by the surrounding context

Hi. I found this in South Wales. This seems to predate my other finds so was wondering if anyone can shed some light on this. It's 18/19cm long. The head is almost rugby ball shaped and appears to have been hand forged? Cheers. 2022-03-13 by Michael

Reply:

@Michael,

I suspect that the spike has lost so much of its body by rust that we won't find tool marks or cut marks that might help give its age though the hand forging you see help rule out machine cut spikes.

What's left then are guessing history by the surrounding context: history of activities in the area, types of structures, distance to the De Cymru coastline (possible dock or ship spike?) or to large wood structures (barns?).

You will find our most-complete advice on guessing age at

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

where you’ll read, when estimating the age, properties, use, and history of a metal fastener like a nail, spike, or screw, we look

1. at the item itself for clues about how it was made, of what materials, and in some cases iron fibre direction that can bracket age of manufacture

2. at contextual clues: what we know from surrounding materials, location, history of the area, etc.

 

Age of nails found in eastern New South Wales

Hi. I found these 2 nails in eastern NSW site. Can you please help me with identifying them? One has what looks like a diamond shape head stamp and the other looks like either an L or the number 7. 2022-03-03 by Cowin

Reply:

@Cowin,

Those look like twentieth-century spikes that might have been used on a ship or a dock.

Follow up:

Sorry not sure what you mean. I don't think they are bronze. They are only around 12cm in length. I was wondering if they can be identified by the headstamp. Maybe english 1800s?

Reply: modern cut nails - unknown metal, no burrs?

@Cowin,

Thanks for the added detail.

Those regular nail shanks, absence of tool marks, and the regular burrs along the shank edges also suggest modern production. Can you say whether those are bronze, or now that I look again, iron, or what is the metal?

You will find our most-complete advice on guessing age at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

And you might try Google image search or a google search on any nail codes or letters you are seeing in the nail head.

It's worth a google search - be sure to include the country and city closest to where found when doing a search.

 

Fairly modern machine made decorative nail

Hi Guys,

I found this interesting Iron nail in my garden. It's square and seems hand forged, but has a nice domed copper head.

We're in the UK. Any idea what period it would be from?

Many thanks,

Andy 2022-01-19 by Andrew Cowles

Reply:

@Andrew Cowles,

Thanks. Nice photo.

The head suggests a fairly modern machine made decorative nail.

 

Big four sided spike metal detecting in MO

@inspectapedia.com.moderator, I found this spike metal detecting in MO. Anybody can help me date it. Four sided spike. 2022-01-08 by Coleman

Reply:

@Coleman,
You will find our most-complete advice on guessing age at

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

 

Origin of blue nail found in piece of driftwood

Drift wood with single nail. Trying to establish age and possibly blue origin. 2022-01-03 by Simon

Reply:

@Simon,

You can see our most-complete advice on guessing age at

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

The blue origin however is another question and one I don't have an answer for.

Patent search may help learn more about square nail found in CA

Hi.
I found an old square nail on the bedrock beneath the overburden on Indian Creek, Happy Camp, Siskiyou county. CA.
It had a wire center of a harder, shinier, woven steel.

I am not mistaken here. I wish I hadn't misplaced it as nobody has heard of it nor can I locate their existence online. I'm still looking. 2020-02-01 by Kerry Emmerson

Reply:

Sounds interesting, Kerry; You might try some patent searches using various combinations of your observations.

 

Manufacturing inconsistency isn't going to give nail age

hi. I'm trying to get a guesstimate on age of wire nails with inconsistent heads. slightly different sizes and some a bit offset to center.

i've searched and searched but can't find information about when wire nails became consistent with head sizes and when things were still rough... any help would be appreciated. thanks! (no image due to broken phone) 2018-05-09 by karl

Reply:

I don't think manufacturing inconsistency is going to give us a date for when the nails were made. I see that sort of inconsistency even now depending on the fabricator.

 

Grooved spike found on an old rural Nova Scotia property

I found this metal detecting on an old rural Nova Scotia property. Any idea how old it is? What are the grooves for? Measures 3/4" square and about 5 3/4" long. 2021-07-02 by Keith

Reply:

@Keith,

That is certainly a remarkable Spike. I don't know what it was for. Possibly Timber framing.

Sometimes people cut grooves in the spikes to improve their resistance to withdrawal but more-likely their regularity suggests that those are grip marks left by machinery used in nail or spike production.

Square plate inserted over nail head

Hello, I am French and I am looking for answers concerning this object in my possession.

Rivet, or nail, The rectangular plate is in bronze measures 10mm X 8mm thickness 3mm (similar to a spangle)
crossed by an iron point with a length of 23mm and diameter 3mm.

the tip is worked like a nail. this one crossing the bronze plate.

The edges of the insert are chamfered. 2020-12-07 by Yves

Reply: Square capped stud-nails: in France?

Yvres

Merci beaucoup pour le photo avec un ongle intéressant.

Je vais regarder autour de moi pour voir ce que je peux trouver d'autre, mais à première vue, il semble que cela puisse avoir été un goujon décoratif comme on en trouve parfois sur la surface de portes ou de coffres maintenant antiques.

It looks as if it may have been a decorative nail such as found in "studded" doors.

 

Want to make bronze cut nails

I would like to make bronze cut nails. What thickness bronze plate should I cut them from? 2020-11-10 by MarkE

Reply:

Mark

We need to start with a decision on what sized nails you need. The plate thickness determines the dimensions of the nail shank.

If you're not sure, just pick up a nail whose design you like. There is no one "right size" nail stock plate.

Consider that the nail length and width and taper vary, and the nail type and size range is huge, from tiny brads to structural fasteners.

Just as example data points,

a No. 8 common nail has a diameter of about 4.115 mm wire.

Daytona Beach nail rusted very thin

Found this nail in Daytona Beach, trying to find out how old this nail might be. 2020-11-02 by Vladimir

Reply:

Vladimir

Let's try the Nail age determination key at

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

Can square nails found in the attic help age the home?

Hi there! We bought an old house and we can't seem to find out when it was built. We found square nails in the attic and wondered if it would help us figure out about when the home was built. What do you think? 2020-10-09 by Amy

Reply:

Amy

Take a look at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY at https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

and look for some of those features on your nail, for example: in your photo I note that the nail taper is not uniform, but has a widening area under the head; up close you may be able to see burrs on one or more of the four edges, and you may be able to see that the head was machine stamped (making it modern);

Of course a nail alone isn't the age of a home, as nails come into a building at various times and uses, so where it's found and fastening what to what are important.

Also we have an entire series of articles on how to determine the age of a house, starting at AGE of a BUILDING, HOW to DETERMINE https://inspectapedia.com/Design/Age_of_Building.php

Please take a look and don't hesitate to ask follow-up questions.

Follow up:

Thank you for the resources! I guess I just thought this would help to figure out what time frames we were looking at for construction here. From what I can tell, the nail head and from the nail head to the shank is irregular, but the shank towards the very bottom is more uniform. Here's another picture of it and another one that we found up there as well.

Reply:

Yes that larger-headed nail looks hand-wrought. The two nails look of different age to me.

Remember to note just where and how the nail was used; for example if we see what appear to be original nails in original framing of a building we can figure they're probably as old as the structure while if we're seeing add-on structure or materials obviously we can't assume that.

Take a look at the other building age clues in this article series - when deciding the age of a building it is important to use all of the available evidence and to correlate it; saw kerfs or marks, hammer marks, timber surfaces, other building hardware, architectural style : there is plenty to consider.

Rebuilding an 1850s home in Wappingers Falls NY I was thrilled to find, on tearing up a damaged floor below a toilet, old newspapers that pretty much told me the date at which plumbing - at least the toilet - had been added to the home.

The plumber stuffed newspapers all around the toilet bend - maybe hoping that if his work leaked it would not be discovered until after he'd safely escaped.

Follow up:

I'll have to investigate further! Most of the house has been renovated extensively so the attic and anything we can figure out inside of it is our only hope! Thank you!

Reply:

Amy:

Often there are many additional house age one can find, even in a renovated home, by careful inspection; layout, architecture, site debris, and the several topics suggested in

the ARTICLE INDEX such as saw marks on original framing lumber that you may see in the attic, basement or crawl space.

Old boat nails from Yukon Territory, Canada

I live in the Yukon Territory, Canada (Klondike Gold Rush) an have found some pieces of an old boat.

Hand hewn keel / bow.
This Is what the nails look like. Vintage? 2020-08-25 by Clint Walker

Reply:

That looks pretty modern to me, Clint; cut nail with side ridges and center bulge is very similar to Tremont's current series.

Is it bronze?

Is this a wire fence fastener?

Hi really having difficulty identifying and ageing this item, i suspect its a wire fence fastener but i am not certain. 2020-08-19 by Connor Flynn

Reply:

Connor, that's a reasonable guess, given similar fasteners we've seen. This one looks a bit large

 

Found in Chicago back yard

I found this nail in the backyard of the building where my daughter lives in Chicago (Now divided into apartments). I wondered if it was a replication or some old. Can you help?
2020-08-19 by Ralph

Reply:

Ralph

Take a look at my comments about cut nails that taper uniformly from head to tip, in this article: NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

as I think that will be helpful

Age guess for an antique Queensland AU cut nail with tapered faceted head

Can anyone advise me about this nail? It’s approx 6 inches, square and was found near Maleny, Qld, Australia 2020-08-09 by Jonathan

Reply:

Age guess for an antique Queensland AU cut nail with tapered faceted head.

That looks like a hand forged uniform-taper cut nail. Take a look at the age estimate guide at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY, Jonathan, and let me know what you find.

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

Follow up:

looks to me like it will be 1839 to present.

Fluted tip ironspike, machine made

Hello
My name is Chris, can you help me find out what this object is called and what it does? I have had no luck after many hours of research. Hope you can help thanks! 2020-07-19 by chrisb8154

Reply:

Chris, That's a fluted tip ironspike, machine made.

Fluted tip spikes or nails are often used to nail into concrete. They may be used to attach structural members or often, insulation. An example is produced by OMG Roofing Products.

See this FLUTED NAIL DESCRIPTION [PDF] from OMG

Round-ish 4-sided hand-wrought nail age, Suffolk England

I am trying to find out how old this nail may be and if it is machine or hand made.

It is about 80mm long and the head is about 11mm wide and although round, not a perfect circle. It does go to a point rather than a blunt tip. It's very rectangular all the way down. It does feel a bit more round directly under the head, but also looks like 4 distinct sides, so I'm not sure if the roundness is due to actually being round or due to corrosion.

I've clean it the best I could in the photos. I found this yesterday while digging a garden in my yard. Location is Suffolk England more specifically Mildenhall. Even more specifically... near an old mill that was recorded as being around since 1066.

Most info on the mill I could easily find including pictures was during the 1800s(Parker's mill)

Any help with an approximate date and if it's hand made or machine made would be awesome! Every thing I have been reading has just confused me more. 2020-07-06 by Sarah

Reply:

Sarah:

Re: age of hand-wrought round headed nail in the UK

[Click to enlarge any image]

That looks like a hand-wrought nail to me, though it won't be as old as 1066, more likely the early 1800's. I'm basing that guess on

- the round-ish but not uniformly-round tapered shank - if the shank is actually flat-sided then it's an early cut nail, probably with a hand-wrought head

- the off-center point or tip

- the rather thin and irregular rounded head on the nail

- what appear to be remains of hammer marks along the shank

Thanks for the photos and question, Sarah.

"Machine-made" bears some discussion and clarification; even in the 1700s people were using hand or foot-operated levers or "machines" to cut nails from heated iron blanks, then hand-forging the nail head by inserting the nail into an opening in an anvil or similar device.

That's an operation that was distinct from fully-mechanized steam, water, or later electric-powered nail cutting machines and of course all of those continued in production overlapping "modern" round wire-based nails that are more-easily distinguished.

In this article series we discuss iron fibre direction (across vs along the nail shank), and head design, and tapering of nail shank, and cut marks on nail edges as further age-clues.

 

Age of cut nail, Western Australia

Hi I found this whilst prospecting Western Australia. Square nail, rose head. Any idea of an age?

Thank you
Cheers
Annie 2020-07-04 by Anne

Reply:

Annie

I see a cut nail shank that seems to taper uniformly - clues

at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY be helpful.

That rose head may indicate that the nail is old enough that the head was hand-forged after the blank was cut.

Cut nails in an 1810 English style barn

I have extracted these machine cut nails [photo above] from an historic English style barn dated on plaque to have been built in 1810.

I am trying to verify this date as I understand machine cut nails were a brand new idea in 1810. I have found no blacksmith nails in the structure although the timber framing is held together with tree nails - wooden pegs.

I would appreciate any help in aging these nails. Thanks much. 2020-07-03 by William Calvert

Reply:

William

Thanks for the photo and question: cut nails in an 1810 English style barn

- located where? In the UK? U.S.?

The nails have a uniformly-tapered shank and what looks like a machine-made head that is uniform around the nail shank - making them look fairly-modern to me. Is it possible that they were added later?

- Where were the nails - holding what to what? - any photos of the nails in-situ?

I think these are "modern" cut nails - post 1830 and possibly newer.

Take a close look for splits along the nail length giving the direction of grain of the iron,
and take a look at any remnants of burrs along the nail shanks showing the direction of cutting.

More clues are at NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

Possible Connecticut Shipwreck nail

Based on other findings in the immediate area, we believe we have discovered a shipwreck on a local Connecticut beach. [Photo above]

We were hoping to receive some help based on the nails we have uncovered - some still stuck in the deteriorated wood we dug up.

There were numerous wrecks along this beach during the 1800’s - being able to identify and date the nails might help us determine which one!

Thank you for any input or information. 2020-06-10 by Ryan B

Reply:

Ryan

Well that's certainly a cut nail but it's tough to see details.

I note a tapering under the head but can't tell if that widening along the shank is how the nail was made (an older one) or if it's simply accumulated exfoliated iron.

Those details are in the article NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

See if you can see any splits long the length of the shank - that gives a detail about the iron "fibre" direction that in turn can date the nail.

 

Nail / spike on a beach in Weymouth Bay, Dorset UK

Hi Dan,

As an expert in old nails could you advise what sort of nail I have found and is it from a ship?

I found this nail / spike on a beech in Weymouth Bay, Dorset UK. I think it must be from ship wreck, there are many wrecks recorded in the area. Does anyone know how old this one is? It feels like wrought iron or cast iron and is 100mm / 4 inches long, square shank and rounded at the end, see photos.

Any comment welcome

Best Regards

Paul 2020-12-13 by Paul Acheson

...

Reply:

This NAIL AGE IDENTIFICATION KEY

https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

May be of help to you

 

Fluted shaft hardened concrete nails

...

2020-10-07 by Stephen

Reply:

Stephen

Those parallel grooves also referred to as a "fluted shaft nail" on the nail shank look like a modern hardened masonry nail.

These nails, typically hammer-driven into concrete, are also sold in a magnetized version used by surveyors, such as the ChrisNik Magnails shown below.

Puget Sound WA Nail Features

Found these two nails next to a old warn down pillars posts and a huge rock carving. No know docks where here in this area. Could this be a old shipping area or boat nail, Indian markers on the shore maybe. Would like ant help. This is in Puget Sound WA. 2020-08-24 by Shelly

Reply:

Shelly

Thank you for the interesting photos and question. I can't make out much detail but your nail on the right of your ruler is a cut-nail, giving a rather broad date range as you'll see in the home page at the recommended articles (end of this page) for this topic.

 

Found this while magnet fishing along the Kennet and Avon canal UK

Found this while magnet fishing along the kennet and Avon canal UK. Would be very interested to know more about it. 2020-10-22 by Louise Black

Reply:

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Determine-age-of-old-nails.php

may be of some help, Louise

 

Modern machine tacks in a slope lap desk

This is a GREAT resource!

I found a slope lap desk at our Salvation Army and fell in love with it. Its felt writing surface was totally rotted, so I'm preparing to clean it off so that I can actually use the desk.

About a zillion nails were used to secure the felt at the hinges; getting them out was a chore because they were also glued in place, my guess is with resin. This made examining the nail holes extremely difficult.

Some of your pictures are very similar to these finishing nails, but I wanted to show them to you. If you have any input, I'll be grateful for it! 2020-10-11 by Sophia Kelly Shultz

Reply:

Those are nice photos of modern machine made tacks, Sophia. Can you also post an image of the lap desk?

Follow up:

The desk can't be closed right now because the glue is still drying. The outside is very plain; we think it is walnut. The inside is pine. There's a stamp on the back that reads something like "Wilburmilk" (no joy on Google). It's a rubber stamp. The glue fluoresces green, and when wiped down with a damp cloth smelled like resin.

 

Reply: age of tacks & hardware in Wilburmilk lap desk

Those are particularly nice brass hinges - making me guess the hardware and perhaps the folding lap desk are from the 1850s but those tacks are curious. Tacks were one of the earliest machine-made metal fasteners, as you'll see in the history given in this article series. Blanchard's machine dates from around 1806.

See if you can identify other instances of the hinges or of the lock mechanism.

Knowing the context is often a basic starting point for guessing the age of building components, furniture, hardware, lap desks.

Country
City
where found
age of buildings in the area
history of acquisition
etc.

Follow up:

My husband and I agree that the tacks are after-market, possibly used if the felt was replaced at some point.

This would account for the glue which held the tacks in place. My feeling is that the person who owned the desk was unhappy with their repair, and nailed the felt down so that it wouldn't distort when the desk was closed.

We are in the US, Pottsville, PA. I found it at the Salvation Army in Pottsville. I work as a volunteer: we do receive a fair number of antiques and I spotted it before it made it out of the back room. Our house and the house next door are dated 1864. Pottsville itself was incorporated as a borough in 1828, and there are buildings from that era still extant.

The town's location on the Schuylkill River and in close proximity to the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads makes it quite possible that the desk was brought from elsewhere, perhaps from Philadelphia.

Reply:

I agree; though there is a very long history of machine-cut carpet and other small tacks, your tacks are probably carpet tacks, or possibly upholstery tacks that look rather modern.

Hand forged wedge from Lake Ontario?

Found in the water in a lake in Ontario, Canada - very heavy. Can chip off the crust. Haven’t finished....

One side has some tool marks running perpendicular. Weight 3-5 pounds. The head is irregular and the whole thing is on a slant.

Is this a nail? Or a wedge or spike? Having a hard time finding out what it is...

Hello! I found this in the water (about a foot under the sand). We chipped away at it a bit and the crust around it came away. It smells a bit like rotten eggs. I’m having trouble figuring out if it’s a nail or a spike or a wedge.

It’s very heavy (about 3-5 pounds.) Any help would be appreciated. 2020-08-23 by Allie

Reply:

This may be a wedge, hand forged, used in log splitting.

Very interesting; can you give dimensions?

Thank you.

Follow up:

Thanks! It’s 6 inches and two inches wide. The thickest part of the wedge in the first picture is 1 inch.

Picture of one side. It looks like it’s staring to corrode after we removed some of the crust.

 

Brass spike, cut perhaps with hand forged head

Found this in a piece of waterlogged wood down at Westmoreland State Park on the Potomac in VA. The piece of wood also had what looked to be a wooden peg in it, I tried but couldn't pull that out. I was able to remove this brass spike though.

From what I can tell online it seems to be from a sea-going ship from 150-200 years ago. Curious if anyone has any other information that might help date or shed light on where this might have come from. Thanks! 2020-08-13 by Nate

Reply:

Beautiful, looks like brass, spike, cut perhaps with hand forged head. Check the details such as burrs along the side of the spike - as per

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

 

Antique nails from Budapest, castle district

Found these in the old castle district in Budapest, which has been the site of countless battles ranging from early Roman times to the late 1800s.

What kind of nails have this strange shape, if they are nails at all?

I have been finding these in the Budapest caste district while metal detecting.

The castle has existed since early Roman times and has been the site of countless battles from that time all the way to the late 1800s. What I am wondering is what kind of nails are these, if they are nails at all?

I have never seen such nails that look like arrowheads, but have been told to ask here. 2020-08-06 by bela Lajos

 

Are these nails and bolts from a ship?

Hello, Can you please tell me how old this hardware is and If it would of been used to make a ship or not? I found them in water so they are weathered. I’d really appreciate it!

Thank You!
2019/10/12 by David

Reply: nails, bolts, rivets used in shipbuilding date back over 2,400 years

Hi David

You have an assortment of bent and straight iron hardware there; a cut nail or two, a nut and bolt assembly, and a large machine made bent spike.

The lines of the spike are least rusted and thus it's easiest to examine for hand-tooling marks (none found); I think this is mostly modern hardware, the spike perhaps from post and beam or dock construction.

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY can help you make an informed guess about the the age of these fasteners.

Were these fasteners used to make a ship? Early wooden ships used large wooden spikes to secure mortise and tenon joints - "Treenails"; as water, especially salt water is corrosive, metal nails of later ships and boats were galvanized or bronze.

Unless we have more context I can't make a useful guess at that answer; a wide variety of fasteners, including spikes, smaller nails, rivets, and screws were all used in shipbuilding.
More modern nails used in wooden boats are copper or bronze, typically ring-shanked with wide heads. Cut nails produced as rosehead square shank spikes of lengths from 50 to 200 mm long are still produced.

Metal nails used in ships have an ancient history as cited in this example research

• Shalev, S., Y. Kahanov, and C. Doherty, NAILS FROM A 2,400 YEAR OLD SHIPWRECK: A STUDY OF COPPER IN A MARINE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT [PDF] JOM Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 51, no. 2 (1999): 14-17.
  
  Abstract: The metal nails that fastened the wooden components of a 2,400 year old ship found along the coast of Kibbutz Ma'agan Mikhael, Israel, were made of unalloyed copper that was intensively hammered. A lead isotype analysis of one nail indicates with high probability that it was made of copper from Cyprus.
  
  The copper of the nails in the wood was replaced entirely by copper sulfide mineral, displaying the occurrence of deep anaerobic conditions in a breaker zone under a shallow cover of sand. the slow decay of the cellulose and hemicellulose in the wood is a possible explanation for the specific necessary environmental conditions.
• Tripati, Sila, M. Sujatha, R. Vijendra Rao, and K. Satyanarayana Rao. "Use of timber in shipbuilding industry: Identification and analysis of timber from shipwrecks off Goa coast, India." Current Science (2005): 1022-1027.

Below: modern bronze boat nails.

And the following illustration of modern Rosehead Square-Shank Spikes used in boatbuilding are from the Glasgow Steel Nail Co.

- Source: Glasgow Steel Nail Co. (Division of Acorn Mfg.), 457 School Street Mansfield Massachusetts 02048 USA Website: http://www.glasgowsteelnail.com, retrieved 20198/10/12 original source: http://www.glasgowsteelnail.com/Boats.htm

These spikes are sold in sizes from 50x4mm to 200 x 8mm and are used world-wide, typically for historic restoration work.

 

Hook top nail head: wire fencing nail from North Carolina

Dear sirs..
I found this spike in the parking lot where I work in the southwestern tip of N.C.

Any idea of age and what kind of a fastener it was ?

Hi .... I have another pic of the old spike I found which has I think the #1 stamped on it. 2019/09/15 by Barry

Reply: Antique wire fencing nails

I noted by email that may be a wire fencing nail.

In the U.S. there was an explosion of nail inventions in the last half of the 1800s including a range of nails used in fencing, some with special heads to hold wire against the wood post and some including a protrusion that made removal of the nail with a hammer easier should fencing repair or adjustment be needed.

This is the Brinkerhoff wire fence nail discussed in the article NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY (live link at end of this page)

We discuss these wire fencing nails at NAILS, AGE & HISTORY

 

Pensacola rusty nail found

Found this in pensacola florida can anyone give me any detail on maybe how old it is? 2019/09/12 by Wazoo Gotya

...

Reply:

From the head shape and rust patterns, Gotya, I'm guessing this is a modern cut nail - 20th century or late 19th century.

 

Rusted-off head of a large spike got a clean up

Hello,
I was hoping you could shed some light on something I found recently, image attached. I found this while out walking the dogs in sunny Wales. 2019-04-30 by CR

Reply:

Thanks for the interesting photo. I can't quite see enough nor do we know enough to have much of an opinion about the age of this particular Fastener. Please take a look at the nail age determination questions that we suggest at

NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY

And let me know what those tell us

Follow up:

I gave it a quick clean up, removed most of the rust.

So here is another photo. I’ve never seen something like this before and haven’t been able to find any similar examples online. I’m not even 100% sure it is a nail but that’s my best guess.

Reply:

Nice job and photo; your cleanup of the metal spike? shows a very square head and straight line sides suggesting this is a machine made nail or spike; next time include a ruler in the photo so we have an idea of its dimensions.

Follow up:

Ahh yeah dimensions would be useful. Another photo included. After some more clean up I’ve found some more details.

There is a clear seam on top of the head where the shaft was attached to the head like a collar. The metal also shows some interesting patterns not sure if this is from weathering or the type of metal/manufacturing. I would like to believe this is a nail but seems unlikely that this can really be classified as such.

 

Mod Reply: - Thanks CR this looks like the rusted-off head of a large spike - such as I'd expect to see in post and beam construction or at the seaside, dock construction.

Knowing what was around where you found the nail, old buildings, seaside, history occupancy, etc. would also be helpful.

I suspect from the rust patterns that the "grains" in the iron run parallel to the shaft direction, making this one of the more-modern alloys - perhaps after 1830. (I need more research on nail fabrication in Wales and the rest of the UK).

Nail fabrication in the UK dates from Roman times but machine made nails are of course modern.

In general in the UK cut nails or machine fabricated nails are not likely to be dated earlier than 1811 - the earliest report I have found was of Joseph Dyer, established cut nail fabrication in Birmingham ca 1811.

I've added some UK citations in the history of nail fabrication references in the article NAIL AGE DETERINATION KEY (live link at end of this page) (you may need to refresh your browser cache to see them).

Pay particular attention to the PDF file about the Ewbank Nail listed under Australia nail history as this nail was also used throughout Britain.

Therein see the square-point nail from 1893.

 

Machine made tack

I recently came into possession of an old picture frame. The frame has two old nails holding the hanging wire on. Can you please tell me when this nail was made and how it was made? The nail is 1/2 inches long. Thank you so much. 2019-04-1 by kathyfox1953

Reply:

Kathy

While this could be an early machine-made tack it's definitely modern - machine made, not hand forged. Notice the smooth flat head, absence of hammer marks, uniformly tapered edge, and that center ridge that may be from a cutting machine. Those details place the nail in the outline of dates on the page NAIL AGE DETERINATION KEY (live link at end of this page)

No earlier than 1848 - assuming your picture frame and nails were made in North America - and possibly as late as yesterday.

 

Round nail shaft diameter and symmetrical cut-point

Back in the early 1970s while exploring the coastal caves out near the entrance to the San Francisco Bay with friends when I was a kid, I spotted this spike wedged down in the rocks at low tide. Stupidly (kids are fearless-- no judgement)

I climbed down to get it. I've had it ever since and never really knew where it may have come from or when it was made.

It measures approx 13.5 inches with a 1 inch diameter shaft and a 2 inch diameter head. Any ideas? 2019-03-28 by stew

Reply:

Stew

The you perfectly round shaft and regular cut points suggest me but it's not a very antique spike but it is an interesting one. It's quite clear from the weld marks on the shaft that it was welded to some other structure and of course as you've doubtless noticed, the head has been smashed as well.

 

Irregular nail shaft diameter and rectangular edges vs round nail shaft

I found this nail in a load of gravel in Missouri. It looks to me like its a hand wrought nail, but I really have no idea. Any thoughts? 2019-03-18 by Tracy

Reply:

Tracy

The irregular nail shaft diameter and remains of somewhat rectangular edges make this look like an antique cut nail or possibly a hand wrought nail. But I'm not sure from your photo.

If the nail is essentially round in cross section it's a modern wire-drawn nail.

Machine made wire nail - round nail found in a Bayou

Found this in a bayou. Cleaned it off a bit. Is it a nail? What was it used for?
Thank you! 2018-12-08 by Cat

Reply:

I can't see the head in the photo but it looks as if you're handling around, machine-made Spike of considerable size.

If found in a bayou I would expect such a spike was probably used in the construction of a dock.

Follow up: nail with many ping marks on the sides

The head is gone. It has many ping Mark's on the sides. It looks hand made. My camera is not so great.
Thank you for your reply!

Reply: ding or hammer marks on old round nails may mean salvage & re-use

RE: Cat's round nail age:

if there were hammer marks on a round nail: such ding marks on a round nail could be from straightening a bent spike for re-use.

These were valuable back when - depending on the location, even in the 1930s and 1940s in some areas of the U.S. younger family members were put to work salvaging nails and spikes from old wood and straightening them to pass them on to their carpenter dad or uncle. (cf. P Galow, PA)

Your nail looks more as if many indentations are pitting from corrosion.

Chestnut beams help age building

How to tell age by nails. Chestnut beams. 2017-05-14 by Anonymous

Reply:

Regarding Chestnut beams, you haven't asked a question but I'm guessing you're asking the relationship between the presence of chestnut beings in buildings and building age.

If we exclude recycled use of old beams in newer buildings, in the United States the chestnut blight had taken a major toll on chestnut trees by 1940.

So it's safe to figure that by the nineteen-fifties those beams would have been rare in most buildings.

Beyond that, in my opinion more significant to look at the types of saw kerf marks or tool marks on beams as part of guessing their age.

We have some comments about the relationship between type of nails and building age

in NAILS, AGE & HISTORY and also in the comments below for this article.

Please take a look and let me know what you think. Because nail making machine reappeared in different parts of various countries and different times there's no single correct answer to the significance of a machine cut nail without considering the geographic location.

 

...

Continue reading at NAILS, AGE & HISTORY - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see NAILS & HARDWARE, AGE FAQs-4 - more Q&A on determining the age of nails.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AGE of a BUILDING, HOW to DETERMINE - home
• DOOR HARDWARE AGE
• NAILS, AGE & HISTORY - home
• HORSESHOE & HORSESHOE NAIL AGE
• NAIL & HARDWARE, AGE RESEARCH
• NAIL & HARDWARE CLEAN-UP
• NAIL AGE DETERMINATION KEY - use this key to guess at the age of your nail or spike
• NAIL ID & AGE: CUT NAILS
• NAIL ID & AGE: HAND FORGED NAILS
• NAILS in BARTER & TRADE
• NAIL SPLITS & CRACKS vs AGE
• NAIL TYPE, ANTIQUE, IDENTIFICATION KEY
• RAILROAD SPIKES
• RAILROAD SPIKE AGE - CONTEXTUAL CLUES
• SAW & AXE CUTS, TOOL MARKS, AGE
• WINDOW HARDWARE AGE

Suggested citation for this web page

NAILS & HARDWARE, AGE FAQs-3 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING AGE

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.

---

IF above you see "Comment Form is loading comments..." then COMMENT BOX - countable.ca / bawkbox.com IS NOT WORKING.

In any case you are welcome to send an email directly to us at InspectApedia.com at editor@inspectApedia.com

We'll reply to you directly. Please help us help you by noting, in your email, the URL of the InspectApedia page where you wanted to comment.

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---