Nail pusher nightmare

[Beginner]

Hi, building my first wooden model and having enormous difficulty with the nail/pin pusher. 90% of the nails bend before they are fully through, occasionally the wood splits,not sure if I’m supposed to use the pusher just to get it started and then swap to a small hammer. I’m using the Artesania tool.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[wmherbert]

Hi, if you are using that for hull planking please understand that it is not necessary to use the nails. I never have, I just use glue and clamps.  I wouldn't be surprised if most modelers do not use them. I would be curious.

Bill

[druxey]

If one absolutely has to use nails - which I do not for one moment recommend! - then one needs to predrill a hole just under the diameter of the nail one is using.

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, Beginner said:

Hi, building my first wooden model and having enormous difficulty with the nail/pin pusher.

 

When I first started in this hobby, I thought "Ooooh, that's a tool I need!"  First time I used it, it frustrated me to no end.  Tossed it in the back of my junk drawer.  

 

If you don't need the nails for aesthetic reasons, do what wmherbert suggests.  If the ship you are working on really needs the nails to look right, still do what wmherbert suggests... and also do what druxey suggests, but maybe even cut the nail lengths in half so you don't have to pound in as far. Spot the points with a touch of CA glue before inserting.

[palmerit]

You don't need to use nails. You can use clamps. And on the first planking, you can make some useful "clamps" from binder clips:

 

I tried two different "pin pushers" and they were both garbage. This "Pin Insertion Plier" works a lot better:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GZH7D7K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&fbclid=IwY2xjawPk9yZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFzejNFNjBSMFRsak8wM1hIc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkfMepYplOOlkAcqMtTmUezQlbYnL7bWYMLmkvdbd3-vcuurCb--EA7STOxL_aem_PVV07KTpTeEh3lhU63YOZQ

[Y.T.]

1 hour ago, palmerit said:

You can use clamps. And on the first planking, you can make some useful "clamps" from binder clips:

Somehow I do not understand 

a) what the fellow modified the standard clips for

b) how this can be applied for holding first planking strips

[ubjs]

https://shipmodeler.wordpress.com/tag/planking-clamps/

[Dr PR]

I used nails on my first kit build because 1) they were supplied with the kit, and 2) the instructions (such as they were) seemed to imply they were necessary. I used small pliers to hold the nails while I drove them in with a small hammer. It was tedious and a lot of nails bent and had to be replaced. In the end I filed of the tops of the nails but they are still visible if you look closely. That was the last time I nailed planks! I think it is a big mistake!!

 

Now I use glue (Duco Cement or Tightbond Original). I heat the planks in place to bend them to fit the curvature and twist of the hull. Then I glue them in place using clamps, rubber bands or whatever to hold them in place while the glue sets.

 

Forget the nails and deep six the nail pusher!

[MintGum]

 

This class of tool is called a "brad pusher".  Searching for the term "brad pusher" will bring up numerous tools from various manufacturers.

 

These tools are made to push wire brads into picture frames, moldings and finish woodwork.

 

The various tools have different shaped handles that make them more or less comfortable and (more or less) easy to use depending on what you are doing with them.

 

Some suggestions:

 

1.) Try the Occre pin pusher tool.  It is shorter and has a round bulb on the end which might make it easier to use.

2.) If your planks are breaking they are too dry.  Soak them for 20 minutes then dry them with a kitchen towel.

3.) Search the internet for a brad pusher that is comfortable for you to use.

4.) Get a small hammer and nail set punch.  After starting the pin (either with the hammer or brad pusher) use the hammer to pound it in further and the nail set punch to set it below the surface of the plank.

5.) Using brad pusher tools with such small pins does have a knack to it as the pin will wobble a bit until it gets started and is pushed further into the plank and frame.  The tool bore is too large and the pin initially sticks out too far enabling this wobble.  This is most probably driven by having to account for the pin head size in the bore.

6.) Amati makes "ultra fine" pins - 0.5 mm diameter that are smaller in diameter than Occre and AL 0.7mm diameter.  They might be easier for you to push in.

7.) Try the pin pliers as previously mentioned above.

8.) Finding a brad pusher that allows the pin to stick out less (initially) and has a smaller diameter bore to hold the pin tighter would help.  I'm not aware of any but perhaps those reading this know of one.  Again, the head size of the pin must be accounted for.

9.) Try another planking method.  Tick Strips or Spiling are two of the other methods and tend to produce a smoothly planked hull.  Tick strips will work with the planks in the kit whereas spiling normally requires purchasing additional materials.

10.) Predrilling a hole - requires the right size wire drill bit... this can be a bit touch and go as the tiny drill bit might also snap and their is a knack at using the jewelers or push drill to make the hole.  I've found this to be unnecessary with sharp, well placed pins (not too close to the edges of the plank, etc...)

 

I have successfully used pins and their respective pushers though it does require developing a knack for their use and then following with a hammer and nail set to drive the pin below the surface.  An alternative is to cut the pin off at the surface and drive the remaining wire below the surface of the plank.

Edited 21 hours ago by MintGum

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

 A photo of you problem can also help those who might offer opinions (remembering, of course, that opinions are like posteriors ... everybody's got one).  I'm no photographer, but I do have an inexpensive camera (Kodak Pixpro FZ45 that uses 2 AA batteries) that I can plug into a USB hub attached to a Mac mini.  The camera shows up on the desktop, and after opening it I can drag any photo I want to the desktop also.  Then it can be dragged onto a MSW post ... that simple. (Cropping and tweaking are optional in Photoshop before dragging to MSW.)  Those who want to use their phone for a camera may have a longer route to get the darn pictures into their computer.

Nailing (as well as pinning) often has the chance of causing a split - the thinner the wood, the higher the chance.  Shaping and softening the plank prior to application helps (and there are logs and some videos on that available), and some use CA as the glue (quick setting while you hold the plank with 'finger pressure' ... accelerator applied with a tool in the free hand can speed things).  Pre-drilling for a nail (or for anything to be later pushed into a deck) is advisable.  You can use steel sewing pins applied with bent-nose pliers (instead of thicker brads with a pusher), and there will be less splitting.  The pin does not have to go into the  bulkhead beyond the plank very far. 

[palmerit]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

Those who want to use their phone for a camera may have a longer route to get the darn pictures into their computer.

It's very easy to post photos directly from a smartphone to the modelshipworld.com site. I never copy photos to my computer first. Unnecessary.

[James H]

I always use a pin pusher on my first layer of planks on POB models. I'm using a Modelcraft tool from Vanguard Models, and also Amati pins which are very fine. These go through the timer easily. If there's resistance, I will drill a tiny pilot hole first.

[Kauz]

One small trick I learned from a great-uncle who was a master cabinetmaker: Set the nail head down on a hard surface (vise, small anvil) and, with the hammer, make one or two taps to the tip of the nail. This will create a small burr at the edges of the resulting flat that cuts the wood fibres instead of pushing them apart, this way reducing chances for splits.

[Landlubber Mike]

I've tried a variety of pin pushers, including the Amati spring loaded one which worked great until it broke.  

 

Find yourself a pin insertion plier.  It makes inserting pins super easy without needing to pre-drill holes, hammer the pins, etc.  For me, I use pins to hold the first planking against the bulkheads while the glue dries.  I don't push them all the way in, just push until the tool comes into contact with the plank, and once the glue has dried, I go back in with this plier and pull the pins out.  Often times I can re-use the pins.  Micromark sold this under #85282.  It makes first planking incredibly easy.

 

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Landlubber Mike

[palmerit]

3 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Find yourself a pin insertion plier.

Yup. Those work far better than the other kind in my experience.

[Landlubber Mike]

Sorry, I just took a look at the picture I posted and that's not the one you should get.  You should get the spike insertion plier, which is made for railroad hobbyists:  82839.

 

https://micromark.com/products/spike-insertion-plier?srsltid=AfmBOoq6h4b-crYCTpersqedVh736nmLtl-aoZZ_psiQrbNZzpW_rTtR

 

 

 

Unlike the tool I posted below, this one has a narrow slot for the nail head and the vertical slot for the pin shank itself.  So, as you are inserting the pin, it is fully supported by the tool.