The "Nail Heads"  are .022 brass wire, cut about 3/16” long. Sand one end flat. Blackened and then pressed into pre-drilled holes. Rusted with Bragdon rust powder applied wet with a sharp tipped brush. Once inserted and rusted, the last step was applying some Silverwood stain around the heads, very carefully, just a touch with an almost dry brush to minimize excess flow. Shake the bottle of Silverwood and then loosen the cap just a bit so some flows around the threads. When dry, dip brush in Silverwood, then mop up some of the dried stain and you get some really dark stain. Be careful though, it is permanent! 

 I used brass wire for the bulk of the nails, but I also wanted some protruding and hammered over ones, and that meant making complete nails. When I started my wall, I solicited ideas for making nails from the group.  Doug Heitkamp and Allen Littlefield thought fish line might be a good material to use. I had some .010 diameter line which is a good size for the shank in 1/16 scale. Allen suggested heating the tip and sanding it flat, and that’s what I tried. I cut a short piece and chucked it up in a pin vise, leaving about 1/32 exposed. I held this up to a flame until it balled up, and then I smooshed it on a flat surface. I sanded the head flat and I was good to go. I kinked a couple over with a little heat persuasion, painted them with Floquil and installed them in drilled holes. I only needed a few to add even more character to my wall. Thanks for the ideas, guys!

Chuck Doan

July 2006