My experience Raptor nylon nails

[Dale R. Hamilton]

My task was to nail 3/16" mahogany planks and deck into a epoxy coated plywood subdeck. For this I chose Raptor 3/4" 18 gauge brown engineered polymer brads. The task is done now and I very much pleased with the result and the product. Nothwithstanding you have to purchase a Italian-made pnumatic gun, well, not really- they will fire thru a ordinary brad nailer- but I didn'y know that. Anyway, the brown nails disappear in the mahogany- if any of the shaft pokes through, they easily break off. Can sand off the heads- and I think they even take stain. You can fire them as fast as you pull the trigger. Excellent for this application.

[openboater]

where would I find these nails for sale ? and a little more info on them ?

[DerekW]

Raptor website (http://www.raptornails.com/english/firstframe.html)

[Bob Cleek]

Reports are these plastic composite nails and staples are an excellent option for cold molding. There's no need to pull out the staples between the laminates. You just sand them off when preparing the surface for the next layer. The fact that non-metalic fasteners don't corrode in the marine environment is a very attractive proposition. The question is, are these fasteners available in sizes suitable for use as a replacement for everdur bronze screws? Is there such a thing as a plastic square cut boat nail? I expect the cost should be less than metal as well. Folks who have gone to plastic staples for cold molding swear by them.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I wonder if over time they leave a void for moisture to wick its way through the layers of subdeck.
I had a deck which rotted out because water wicked through the staple holes, even though the layers were glued with epoxy.
Still, I wish they were around when I cold moulded 24 footer years ago. Covered with dynel and epoxy they would be great.

[sv Lorelei]

Metal fasteners in wood, regardless of what metal they're made of will tend to precipitate moisture. Even when sealed off from external moisture sources they'll tend to precipitate moisture from the ambient moisture present in the wood during times of larger temperature differerentials. It's entropy, baby!

[TomMcKinney]

I would very much like to hear from anyone who has strip planked with these nails.

Looks like one could use them instead of clamps- apply glue to strip, push into place, fire and forget. Would seem to yield a very fast and simple build

[JimConlin]

Sounds like the nails, staples and guns are available in the northeast US exclusively through the folks referenced above. Is this so?

[Dale R. Hamilton]

Jim- as far as I know this stuff is available only from Raptor (at the moment). Check their website referenced above for sizes and colors.

I have not yet strip planked, but I've laid a strip deck- works just wonderful. One tip, I found the nylon nails sometimes didnt fire- you had to take the gun tip apart, clear it and go again. What cured this is adjusting the right pressure at the gun (90 psi my application) and a good squirt of WD 40 on the guns magazine.

I'm going to pursue this business. What about assembling a whole boat with nylon nails. fired as fast as you can pull the trigger. You are really relying on epoxy for strength- the nails just serve to fasten till the glue dries. And you can do it with one hand.

[paladin]

You have just plunked the magic plunger, Froggy.......you need a high capacity, quick recovery air system if you are shooting the staples in rapid succession when strip planking or cold molding.....whenit say 90 pounds...your gun better be functioning smoothly and the pressure better be 90 pounds...if the pressure drops to 75...or maybe 80...and you hit a slightly denser bit of wood...ya gotta hangfire. When we started the 32 footer for one of my sons, and a 34 foot trimaran for another, I bought the biggest tank system that rears and sawbuck sold and it sure do make the work go fast....

[Dale R. Hamilton]

well said Paladin. You need power- what some of these guys don't realize when they talk about Home Depot systems on sale. I realized this after I bought my first 2 air compressors, The 3rd one is a commercial Ingersoll Rand model hardwired into the shop system. It had two distribution systems both running thru a refrigerated dryer- the first goes to run shop tools, the second runs an HVLP spray system in the paint shop. Runs everything- at same time.

BTW- congratulations on the french onion soup. It was excellent- specially on a miserable wet day.

[paladin]

I did a half dozen onions this morning and have a pot simmering now....in a couple hours gonna slice off some french bread and warm it in the oven.....:D DIL comes to do more grocery shopping for me this weekend...

and on the compressor....you should add the dehydrator.....and the gun should be dry lubed periodically...

[Keith Wilson]

Absolutely right about having enough air. I design automated industrial air nailing systems, and the guns simply will not work right if the pressure drops much. We usually put smaller auxiliary reservoirs as close to the guns as we can, and use BIG air lines (3/4" or 1"). Compressor capacity isn't normally a problem in wall panel plants. The last machine we did needed about 250 SCFM when both guns were firing at full speed (about 4X per second each). The manufacturer's specs will tell you air consumption per cycle, and you can calculate what you'll need to keep the beast fed. Dry air is a good thing, but dryers are expensive and nail guns tolerate a bit of water if they're lubed. At the very least set up your piping with a good drip leg and drain.

[paladin]

my comments about the dry lube pertains to using the fasteners in boatbuilding where adhesives such as epoxy are used....and guns have come a long way since 1969 when I was using the old calwire MKII.....about the size of a heavy skil saw.......compared to my new Senco stapler which is about the size of a small lightweight portable drill....

[Carlsboats]

Tom McKinney wants to talk to someone who has done
strip planking with Raptor plastic nails. I have done a couple
of boats that way, so Tom, e-mail me and I can give you
details.

[paladin]

I used no mechanical fasteners in the strips of my 44 foot boat......just the clamps to hold the next piece in place until the epoxy set....I worked alternately, install a plank on one side, set clamps, instal strip on the other side, set the clamps, and by then the resin had kicked off enough to put a plank on the other side so the procedure was repeated...and there were no metal or plastic fasteners holding the strips together...worked great...18 years and no problems...

[Cecil Borel]

I have been using Raptor nails and staples for my cold-molded boat. I have been pleased with their performance. You may also email me for details.