Nails, Pounce wheels, etc

jrmueller · January 11, 2015, 10:30:11 AM

Does anyone know where you can get that nail replicator, or something similar, that was made by MonsterWorks? Thanks. Jim

Dave K. · January 11, 2015, 01:26:02 PM

It's one of my favorite tools. I asked Jimmy Simmons a year or so ago if the Monster Nailer would be back. He said he couldn''t find someone to manufacture it for him again. :-(.

I suppose a reasonable facsimile could be made with a dowel, pins, and a drill. I do not care for the effect og pounce wheels.

Dave K. · January 11, 2015, 01:38:30 PM

Just chatted with Jimmy...out of production and no leftovers sitting around.

bparrish · January 11, 2015, 04:47:03 PM

Jim...........

DON'T spend a lot of money on this one............ Take a ladies dress or silk pin and cut the head off of it. Then put it in your pin vise for small drills.

You can set the pin as close or as far out as you want.

Be sure you calculate how big you want your nail holes. In HO a nail with a quarter inch head........ as in a 16d nail is really only something under .003" . That's pretty small.

See ya
Bob

jrmueller · January 11, 2015, 06:04:12 PM

Thanks Bob My wife the seamstress is going to help me find one. I don't like pounce wheels as they always seem to wander. Jim

Slim Jerkins · January 12, 2015, 09:42:24 AM

I have one of those Monster nail holers. Not a fan of the pounce wheel either. As Dave K said, you could make a nailer with a dowel and a couple of pins.

If someone made a real fine "comb" with teeth made up of little nails so that I could make a bunch of straight (or somewhat straight) nail holes at one time I would gladly pay $16 for one.

-slim

restocarp · January 12, 2015, 10:04:04 AM

To replicate the monster tool, how about a potter's pin tool?:

http://www.baileypottery.com/potterytools/baileytools-handbuild.htm
And as far as something with several pins in a row, a paint brush comb comes to mind, although I don't know what the spacing is off of the top of my head. Likely too wide.

Matt

jrmueller · January 12, 2015, 10:30:19 AM

Ordered the potter's pin tool although I have no idea what it is. Total cost including shipping was less than five dollars so I figure I have nothing to lose. Thanks for the suggestion. Jim

Slim Jerkins · January 12, 2015, 10:33:20 AM

Yes Matt - I have one of those. It might be OK for O scale or larger but for HO it would need to have thinner pins spaced much closer. But that's basically the concept.

Before the Monster Nailer I used the dividers from my old drafting tools.

-slim

Slim Jerkins · January 12, 2015, 10:38:55 AM

The potters pin tool looks a lot like the probes I get from McMaster Carr. They also have some stubby ones that are about four inches long total length.

Some folks might remember those probes from the days of dissecting frogs in biology class. (Do they still do that? - or is it done virtually with a computer.)

I use them all the time to apply CA glue. When the glue hardens I just scrape it off.

-slim

NEMMRRC · January 12, 2015, 12:51:12 PM

Someone should call Jimmy Simmons and start making these nailers.

Jaime

oldbloodhound · January 12, 2015, 03:17:44 PM

Nail holes are way overdone. Just a few here and there is all you need.

NEMMRRC · January 12, 2015, 03:24:14 PM

Quote from: oldbloodhound on January 12, 2015, 03:17:44 PM
Nail holes are way overdone. Just a few here and there is all you need.

But they add so much character....

Jaime

S&S RR · January 12, 2015, 03:26:36 PM

Quote from: NEMMRRC on January 12, 2015, 03:24:14 PM
Quote from: oldbloodhound on January 12, 2015, 03:17:44 PM
Nail holes are way overdone. Just a few here and there is all you need.
But they add so much character....

Jaime

I agree - one of those details that make a big difference.

bparrish · January 12, 2015, 04:18:23 PM

Howdy all

I routinely do AP judging here in the northwest.

I don't spend a lot of time looking for nail holes. I do however look for the rust trails that they might leave on an exterior wall. In the main hole marks are too big for HO as I noted here earlier.

Over the years there were several types of clap board. One for residential stuff mostly had an overlap where only the top edge had nails and then the next lap up hid the nails. Very much like vinyl siding lays up today.

There was a ship lap siding that only would have one nail showing near the bottom of the lap and the upper nail was hidden by the next lap up.

There are prototypes for everything so I'm not trying to fulminate a debate here.

I put nail holes in a lot of stuff that I build but as a judge.......... I don't pass or fail a model for the presence of or the lack of nail holes.

On the other hand.......... if a trestle or some such model that would have NBW's............ I will trip a model for the lack of them. Even in HO these would be rather large and should be modeled. A two or three thousandth's hole mark that represents a small nail is not going to show up very well unless exaggerated.

Just thinking out loud.

see ya
Bob