✅ SOLVED A nail fastener of sorts

[villagenut]

I have this site that has lots of forged nails and lots of brass nails, all being hand made. But these little homemade fasteners have also shown up here. Instead of a nut and bolt or a clenched nail to hold the wood together, they drove the brass nail and then put a hand cut diamond shaped brass washer over the tip and then pounded it flat, not clenched in order to hold (guessing) two pieces of wood together. There was a blacksmith shop here in the 1840-50 period. Wondering if anyone knows just what this method was used for. and when the method was popular....if at all. Was it ship building related? Thanks for lookin,vn

 

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[crashbandicoot]

Might have been used in boat or shipbuilding,I,ve seen pictures of nails or rivets like that which came from old ships.Would fit with your location in Fla.Just a guess mind you!

 

[Tony in SC]

Having a small head on one end and a washer on the other tells me that it held metal and wood together?

 

[villagenut]

Why wouldn't the builder of whatever was being secured just have clenched the nail end? Perhaps to be somewhat decorative although it looks pretty primative

 

[Tony in SC]

If in metal the head would be larger than the hole, no need to clinch both ends.

Why wouldn't the builder of whatever was being secured just have clenched the nail end? Perhaps to be somewhat decorative although it looks pretty primative

 

[Blak bart]

I belive they are related to ship building...I find them on the beaches and shorelines of the keys and bahamas. Usally the ones that have been used will have one of the points on the diamond curved downward to lock it into the wood/metal and hold it in position. Im not sure what the name of such fasteners was. Im fishing this morning, but will try and find a couple when I get home tonight....most of the ones I find have the bent point on the diamond shaped clench washer.

I like the idea of metal and wood being fastened....makes sense with the use of copper sheathing on boats, or even for iron ribs and wood hull planks ?? It is still a mystery to me and I'm just guessing.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Looks like an early, hand-forged version of a rivet.

 

[villagenut]

If in metal the head would be larger than the hole, no need to clinch both ends.

That makes sense, thanks Tony

 

[villagenut]

I belive they are related to ship building...I find them on the beaches and shorelines of the keys and bahamas. Usally the ones that have been used will have one of the points on the diamond curved downward to lock it into the wood/metal and hold it in position. Im not sure what the name of such fasteners was. Im fishing this morning, but will try and find a couple when I get home tonight....most of the ones I find have the bent point on the diamond shaped clench washer.

I like the idea of metal and wood being fastened....makes sense with the use of copper sheathing on boats, or even for iron ribs and wood hull planks ?? It is still a mystery to me and I'm just guessing.

I would like to see what you have that is similar, thanks Bart. There are lots of brass nails from here and one looks clenched at both ends which was a bit odd. The fact that the one I posted has a washer under the hammered nail tip would seem to tell that it may have been still intact and the wood rotted away but what about the metal it also may have been fastened to? there was more than one of these as if it was a common practice..... here are but a few other nails from there, having multiple uses.

 

[villagenut]

Thanks to everyone's suggestions on being ship(boat)building related I was sable to find out more and actually come up with a name for the little fastener. It is actually a very old practice of securing hull planking which averaged one inch in thickness to one another as they ran the length of the vessel. This is called a strake rivet and rove....rove being the washer which most often was diamond shaped. It probably demanded that one person was on each side making sure to not back the square nail back out upon setting the rivet end. This definitely fits the site, as the smith shop here was ran by a master shipwright. Thanks all for the help


https://saxonship.org/product/strake-rivet-and-rove-501-1000/

 

[Blak bart]

Dang now I know the real name....nice work villagenut !! Learn something new everyday !!

 

[Blak bart]

Strake rivet and rove !! Now I sound like I know what im talking about !!

 

[villagenut]

Say it fast and it sounds like shake rattle and roll.....

 

[villagenut]

Are those that you found ....thanks for redigging them out and showing