Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-19
Nails for Out-Or.DOOr Work.

EVERY farmer, says Hearth and Home,
who has had to do with the repairs OF ont
buildings, finding it needful to constantly
replenish his stock of nails, which are
used in various unmentionable ways, has
many times noticed the havoc that rust
makes with the wood through
which the nail Is driven. Three
years in some states .of the wood
will suffice to either rust the nail hole
large enough to make whatever is fasten-
ed with the nail insecure, or, perhaps, to
impair the vitality of the nail itself.
Various plans have been devised to rem
edy this waste, which COSTS the country no
small sum each year.
A recent article in the 7echnOlogist talks
so gensibly upon this matter that we copy
it entire:
EVERY one is familiar with the fact
that piece of rusty iron wrapped in cot
ton or linen cloth soon destroys the tex
ture of the fabric. A rustiug nail, for ex-
ample, if laid upon few rags, will soon
produce large holes in them, or it will, at
least, render every point that it touches
so rotten that the cloth will readily fall
to pieces at these points, and holes will
| be produced by the slightest hard ussge.
| Why this is SO 1t is not our purpose to in
vestigate. We merely state well-known
fact, and draw from IL the conclusion that
iron, during the process of rusting, tends
to destroy any vegetable fibre with which
it may be in contact. This explains, to g
certain extent, the rapid destruction OF
the wood that surrounds the nails used in
out door work, whereby the nail is soon
left in hole much larger than itself
AID all power of adhesion is lost. Part
of this effect is, no doubt, due to the &C
tion of water and air, which creep along
the surface of the nail by capillary at
traction, and tend to produce rottenness
in the wood as well as oxidation in the
iron. But when we compare an old nail
hole with similar hole that has been ex
posed during IA equal time, but filled
with wooden pin instead of an iron nail
We find that the wood surrounding toe
wooden pin has suffered least, and wC
may, therefore, fairly attribute q destruct
i've action TO the rusting of the iron. L
might, at first sight, be supposed that, al
the oxide OF iron Is more bulky than the
pure iron, the hole would be filed NOR,
tightly and the rsil held more firmly Il
It's place. But, although this effect is pro
duced in the first instance, yet the de
struction of the woody fibre sn6 the pul
verization Of the oxide soon overbalanc,
it, and the nail becomes loose. Ofcourse
the iron itself being also destroyed, IT
strength is dininished, and we have
therefore, a double incentive for prevent
ing or diminishing the action that We
have described. The only way to pre-
vent this action ia TO cover the nail will
some substance that viii prevent oxida
tion. This might be done by timing, a!
Is common with carpet tacks, which srt
now extensively timed for the purpose o
preventing them from rusting, and thu
rotting holes in the oaTpets Coat
ing them with oil or tallow woult
be efficient if the act of driving diC
not remove the protecting matter entirely
from large portion of the surface. But
even then, it will be found that the oil O
fat is stripped off the point and gatheret
about the head in such way as 10 pre-
vent the entrance of air and moisture
into the hole, The most efficient way I,
coat nails with grease is to heat them Z
point sufficient to cause the grease Il
smoke, and then pour the grease owe
them, stirring them about in pot o.
other vessel. When the nails are hot
the melted grease will attach itself t
them more firmly than it would have dom
if they were cold-indeed, so firm that /
will require actual abrasion of the meta
to separate it. In erecting fences, layini
plank or board sidewalks, and the like,
becomes an important matter to secure tn
4, nails sgainst the influence that we hav
mentioned, and yet the work must b
done rapidly and cheaply. Nails may b
readily prepared as described, or the,
may simply be dipped in oil or paint 3
the moment when they are driven in
And we have found, by experience, tha
in cases where it is not advisable TO pain
the whole fence, it is, nevertheless, goo,
plan to go over the work and touch tn
head Of every nail with brush dipped il
oil or paint prepared so as to be Of tt
same color as old wood"