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Blacksmithing nails for the miniature onager
I normally use manufactured 17ga wire brads cut to length to secure the side plates to the catapults, but for this project I decided to try and make it as authentic as possible. To that end, I am using a propane torch and ball peen hammer to form nails out of some 17ga carbon steel wire.
Making the nails involves swelling the end of the wire, what is accurately called "upsetting", taking any bends that have formed at the end as a result of that out of the wire, then using the round head of the ball peen hammer to form the dome head of the nail. Once the head has been formed, the nail can be cut to length (around 3/8" in this case), and the cut tip shaped to a point. By the time I'd finished making the 11 nails needed for the piece, I got the time each down to about 5 minutes... Not too bad in the grand scheme of the project
Blacksmithing nails for the miniature onager
I normally use manufactured 17ga wire brads cut to length to secure the side plates to the catapults, but for this project I decided to try and make it as authentic as possible. To that end, I am using a propane torch and ball peen hammer to form nails out of some 17ga carbon steel wire.
Making the nails involves swelling the end of the wire, what is accurately called "upsetting", taking any bends that have formed at the end as a result of that out of the wire, then using the round head of the ball peen hammer to form the dome head of the nail. Once the head has been formed, the nail can be cut to length (around 3/8" in this case), and the cut tip shaped to a point. By the time I'd finished making the 11 nails needed for the piece, I got the time each down to about 5 minutes... Not too bad in the grand scheme of the project