Brass 23ga pins

[zzdodge]

At Lumber Liquidators, I noticed that they carry 1" and 3/4" 23ga brass pins for a pin nailer.

I am wondering when brass could be used? I have just assumed that stainless steel (much more $) is the way to go. Oh, and the brass pins are cheap, perhaps less cost than steel.

 

[Roy G]

I would be interested in hearing how brass pins perform. If they work, I could see using them to fasten some darker wood. The steel ones are sort of shiny.

Roy G

 

[ehpoole]

I would be interested in hearing how brass pins perform. If they work, I could see using them to fasten some darker wood. The steel ones are sort of shiny.

Roy G

If your Pinner is working (and engineered) properly then your pins should be recessed below the surface of the wood (typically close to 1/16” or 1mm), there shouldn't be much to see at all -- especially after your finish moistens the wood causing the fibers to expand (largely closing the hole). If you can see the pin sufficiently for it to be objectionable then your Pinner may not be driving them deeply enough, in which case you may wish to double-check the pressure at the gun (as opposed to at the tank) to ensure adequate pressure is reaching your Pinner.

 

[zzdodge]

I am wondering if the brass would hold up to pinning, especially in maple.

It is kind of a separate question, but are there woods where brass is not a good choice?

 

[jazzflute]

Are you sure they were brass, or just brass-colored? I have a bunch of Grex pins that are brass colored, but they are actually galvanized steel. They also sell stainless steel, which are of course silver in color. I think brass might be way too soft for a pinner; they put a lot of energy into those little pins. You can demonstrate this (at least on a Grex pinner) by firing it when it's not touching a board. The pins fly at least 25 feet.

After 25 feet they hit a wall.

A friend of mine did that once. You know, this guy I know. I'm pretty sure no one else here knows him, and I can't remember his name.

K

 

[zzdodge]

The package said brass. I don't recall it saying "plated." If I am in the area, I might look again. It would be hard to imagine brass pins having the strength to penetrate hard maple. Then again not many people use hard maple in trim. But they do use red oak.

 

[JimD]

I am curious. Steel at 23 gauge couldn't be driven with a hammer into wood, at least by me. Pneumatics help but possibly not enough for brass.

 

[Jim Wallace]

Kevin, Those guns do have a lot of power. Someone I once knew a long time ago used to work as a carpenter. While working framing houses in a subdivision where the houses were only 30 yards or so apart this individual was known to engage in nail gun fights shooting 16d nails from a nail gun at the carpenters framing the adjacent house, who would of course return fire. What a way to let off steam at the end of the day! The nails might hit their target, but they didn't have enough energy left to do any damage. I think we were just lucky no one ever got one in the eye though. There was an older German man that worked with us. He just couldn't stand to see all those nails wasted. After most everyone else had gone home, he'd walk around swearing in German while picking up all the nails he could see.

I can't remember the name of the guy that I saw doing this either.

Jim

 

[zzdodge]

Well, a couple of things. I am a bit dyslexic, and I was writing about 32ga pins, not 23ga, so let me set that straight.

I got curious, and when running errands, went back to Lumber Liquidators. The packages clearly say BRASS, 32ga PIN. 3/4" was 2.99 a box and 1" was $3.99, so since I use 1" more often, I got a box of those. 6000 ct in either box. All the boxes were sealed shut.

When I got home, it was clear that they were brass colored steel. They are magnetic. I did not test to see if they were galvanized, but I might later.

With two 3/4" MDF scraps I tested how they drove into MDF. I am not sure if MDF is near the density of a material like red oak, but I figure it is more dense than dimensional lumber scraps. About 100 pins were driven, and they worked well.

When in the area, I will now pick up a box of 3/4" pins. By then I probably have tested to see if there is zinc on these, and hence whether they are galvanized.

Actually, it was a good purchase, because I usually pay much more for 6000 pins...and unlike the last box I bought, these were full strips, not busted up strips with 10 or less pins per segment (grumble).

Poor labeling, and me wondering if they were something special, which they are not.

 

[ehpoole]

I would imagine that they are brass electroplated steel pins. That would yield a product with the look and color of brass and the strength of steel. However, it is a finish that may not hold up to time in areas where there is a lot of humidity (due to corrosion) and/or more reactive woods (such as Oak). That said, pins should not ordinarily be visible in the finished project since they are normally recessed

Regardless of what you may find, enjoy your purchase as they should work every bit as well as a steel pin with respect to holding power.

 

[McRabbet]

I got curious, and when running errands, went back to Lumber Liquidators. The packages clearly say BRASS, 32ga PIN. 3/4" was 2.99 a box and 1" was $3.99, so since I use 1" more often, I got a box of those. 6000 ct in either box. All the boxes were sealed shut.

I do not believe these are 32 gauge pins -- Lumber Liquidators (nor any other vendor I have found) does not sell a 32 gauge pin nailer. You can find 23 gauge pin nailers and I suspect these are mis-labeled package. 23 gauge nails are 0.025 inches in diameter -- a 32 gauge nail would be about 0.008 inches in diameter and I cannot imagine shooting a nail of that diameter. Just my .02

Rob

 

[Jeff]

At Lumber Liquidators, I noticed that they carry 1" and 3/4" 23ga brass pins for a pin nailer.

The packages clearly say BRASS, 32ga PIN.

Well, a couple of things. I am a bit dyslexic, and I was writing about 32ga pins, not 23ga, so let me set that straight.

I don't have a pin nailer but am curious about them so I looked around at FWW for some information. There's lots of models and features but the common feature is a 23 ga pin and I couldn't find one that uses a 32 ga pin. I also Googled 32 ga pins but came up zero, zilch, and nada.

Maybe the folks at Lumber Liquidators are dyslexic. They've gotten a lot of press recently about their flooring products, safety issues, and misrepresentation of those products (see 60 Minutes about that).

 

[ehpoole]

I don't have a pin nailer but am curious about them so I looked around at FWW for some information. There's lots of models and features but the common feature is a 23 ga pin and I couldn't find one that uses a 32 ga pin. I also Googled 32 ga pins but came up zero, zilch, and nada.

Maybe the folks at Lumber Liquidators are dyslexic. They've gotten a lot of press recently about their flooring products, safety issues, and misrepresentation of those products (see 60 Minutes about that).

There are also some 21ga Pinners available, which offer an even heavier pin, but the 23ga pin is what one will use most often -- I have both.

When you shop for a Pinner, ensure that it supports at least 30mm (1-3/16") as this will allow you sufficient hold for items up to 3/4" thickness (where 1" is too little for such thickness). You will seldom have need for anything more than this unless you have specialized needs when pinning. Also ensure that it cleanly recesses the pins by about 1/16" to 1mm so that they disappear below the surface of your workpiece.

Do purchase a good selection of pin sizes so that you can always choose the most appropriate pin size for the job.