If you have ever had to work with stainless steel finish nails, you will know I’m difficult this can be. However, this should not detract you from using them anyway, as they are a superior quality of nailand absolutely necessary in some situations. If you are new to carpentry, then following DIY tips for stainless steel finish nails may be of benefit to you.
Top Stainless Steel Finish Nails Tips
- Make sure you use the correct size. This may seem like obvious but the reality is that a lot of people simply grab any nail they come across. Finish nails come in standardized sizes. Usually, they are measured in pennyweights, referring to the cost of purchasing 100 miles of that particular size. The symbol for the pennyweight tends to be d, which is an abbreviation of denarius, the Roman word for penny. In order to choose the correct nail size, you need to measure how thick at the wood is that you will drive the nail into, subtract 1/2 inch from this, after which you should multiply it by 4.
- You must drive the nails into the wood in the right way. The best method is to countersink them. A countersink is a hole inside wood shaped like a gun, which you create before reporting a nail into it. This ensures that a faster will be flush with the wood’s surface. Usually, you will create a countersink through milling or drilling, using a specialized cutter. Once you have made the wall, you can simply hammer the nail into the material. Do remember that you are using a finish nail, which means it must be driven below the wood’s surface. To do this, you should use a proper to because a hammer will cause damage to the wood. Instead, you should use a metal tool known as a nail set. This is quite similar to an icepick, but it has a dull tip. Make sure the fastener gets to around one sixteenth of an inch below the surface. You will then be left with a tiny hole, which can be hidden with a wood filler. Once the filler is dry, you simply send it down and it will look as if there are no nails present at all.
A final tip is to purchase a few extra finish nails and a couple of pieces of wood. Practice makes perfect, as they say, and this is absolutely true for carpentry as well. While the first time you use a stainless steel finish nail you may feel as if you will never be able to complete your project, and little bit of perseverance will go a long way. Before you know it, you will be a genuine expert on finish nails yourself. Practicing will also give you the opportunity to figure out which Hama works best on your particular project, well you must always remember to protect your appendages. Missing when hammering in a stainless steel finish nail can have devastating consequences for your thumb.
