Cut Nails?

[pieman]

I am looking for some cut nails to put down my floor boards. I need 6cm nails but have only managed to find some at the local hardware store that are 10cm long, these being too long and would probably split the timber.
I am in south Lincs, any ideas?
Thanks.

 

[Jon Maine]

toolstation.com 65mm cut nails in 500gram packs

 

[Ian Bond]

Traditional Cut floor brads Like these?

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/floor+brad+nails+60mm+pack+250g/pid/6369686

I got mine from my local timber merchant, Arnold Laver. Perhaps your local builders or timber merchant has some cheaper that you can collect yourself to save on postage costs?

The ones I use are 2 1/2 inches long, just over 60 mm, for fixing 1 1/4 inch thick planks. The new ones from Lavers are pretty much identical to the originals early 1800s nails I found. Although the new ones probably came from China.


Ian

 

[Penners]

Traditional Cut floor brads ... new ones probably came from China.

You're probably right, Ian. And I suspect that the quality of steel used is not as good as they used to be. I'm sure they tend to bend sideways much more easily nowadays.

Either that, or I'm becoming more crap at striking square with a hammer (which is a distinct possibility).

 

[Ian Bond]

Good point Penners.

Our old nails are probably something more like wrought iron, made in a pre (or early) industrial era before the invention of the manufacturing processes for true steel.

http://www.glasgowsteelnail.com/romans.HTM

Some of my old nails have corroded and crumble, others are still perfectly sound.

I drill pilot holes to help prevent the bending, especially when nailing into pitch pine.