The first cut Galvanized Nails machines appeared during the late 1700's and the first machine to cut and head Galvanized Nails in one operation was invented by Ezekiel Reed of Bridgewater, Mass. The present Galvanized Nails factory has about 60 Galvanized Nails machines and was completed in 1848.

When did metal nails start being used?

After the steel making processes were perfected and the price for steel was less than that of wrought iron, cut nail manufacturers began to use steel for nails. From the late 1880s through the 1890s steel gradually replaced wrought iron in the manufacture of cut nails (Heitmann 1989:30).

How can you tell how old your nails are?

The earliest forged nails are identified by their irregular shanks and hammer marks on both shanks and heads. When viewed from above, early round heads have a meandering outline that is anything but round. Later machine cut shanks will still show hammering which was necessary to form the head.