Copper Boat Nails
We have an extensive range of Copper Boat Nails in flathead that are kept in stock which sourced from the UK and Rose Head Nails that are available by the 100g or KG from our supplier in New Zealand at reasonable lead times. With a complementary range of copper roves to suit. Used with Roves or alone by clenching, copper boat nails are the classic nail used to build classic clinker boats.
Copper and copper alloys are typically 99 percent copper and very small amounts of silver, arsenic, antimony, phosphorous and tellurium. The corrosion resistance of copper alloys is very good in seawater and excellent in salt atmospheres. Copper is a soft and ductile metal and has long been used as fastenings in traditional wooden boats with copper clinched nails or nails riveted over roves.
Buyer Beware
There are some Chinese sourced copper boat nails around. The samples we have been supplied are semi-hard and up to 0.2mm undersize. Shipwrights have told us they have ended up with fine cracks in the peined area due to work hardening.
That is one of the reasons we do not stock fasteners from China. The other reason is not being able to guarantee the quality of the materials being used in the manufacturing process. The purity of the copper is critical. Small percentages of impurities can significantly alter the copper making it unsuitable for marine use.
We source our Copper Boat Nails from the UK and they manufacture them onsite using the same techniques and machinery as used for many decades. Dave has been to the factory and the machinery is definitely many decades old.