Hobnails

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Are there any sources out there for large headed hobnails? My source of WW2 German military hobnails has dried up. I used Tremont nails as Matt Amt suggested, but I want something different on my new pair.

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

At UK, you can find that kind of hobnail:



At some stores, two of them:
[url:3hbhn57l]http://leprevo.co.uk[/url]
[url:3hbhn57l]http://www.saucysucculents.co.uk/LeatherandLeatherWorking.htm[/url]
I hope it helps you.

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Thank You!

[caiusbeerquitius]

Maybe Flavius Promotus can Help. He is quite an expert for Roman hobnails...

[Hibernicus]

Send me a pic of what you want.. include dimensions...
How many you looking for??
We're making nails by hand.. easy as pie

[Flavius Promotus]

Dear Hibernicus,

do you make cone shaped nails ?
And are they made of soft iron ?

Steel is not good - the shaft has to clench if you want to make properly nailed boots, and steel is too hard for this.

I have a few images of Roman hobnails from the museum at Augsburg. If anybody is interested in these pics, drop me a message with your email-address

The hobnail in the image posted by Lucius looks rather ok - it has the shape of a Roman hobnail after some wear (with the tip of the cone head worn away). You might have to smith out the shaft of each nail, though - otherwise you'll have to bind or glue the sole to the boot and just stick the nail into the sole. Since it doesn't clench properly it's more likely to fall out.

By the way - Merry Christmas !

[Peroni]

Salvete,

I have always used the hobnails pictured by Lucius (from Le Prevo Leather) with a double thickness sole hammered in on a shoemakers last they do clench-over. no 'smithing' of the shaft is required.

They are very reasonably priced, and last a long time too.

Regards,

[Matt Lukes]

My 'analysis' of a couple of images of actual caliga soles/ imprints and hobnails suggest that at least one type of hobnail used is rather small- ~7mm dia., and conical, about 175-200 nails per sole. Has anyone else found this to be the case?

Matt

[Martin Moser]

Hi Matt,

My 'analysis' of a couple of images of actual caliga soles/ imprints and hobnails suggest that at least one type of hobnail used is rather small- ~7mm dia., and conical, about 175-200 nails per sole. Has anyone else found this to be the case?

When going through the publications on shoes that I have a few days ago to answer Cesar's question I read somewhere that nails varied in diameter from 0,5 to 1,5 cm. I'll check the nailing patterns for numbers again, but from what I remember around a hundered seemed to be avarage.

cheers,

Martin

[Flavius Promotus]

depends on the individual patterns. Some have rather few nails, but some can have up to ca. 150 - per boot !

Does anybody know a craftsman who can make soft iron hobnails with specific measurements which are not too expensive ?

The nails I get are ok, but they are of only one size. Yet there have been nailing patterns with two different kinds of nails - large ones for the outer rim of the soles, and smaller ones for the inner areas. Some of the limitanei Taunensis have shoes made with this method and I don't know where they get their nails from (hand forged ???).

[deepeeka]

[aitor iriarte]

As far as I have seen, the biggest hobnails correspond to the Republican/Augustean period. They have usually four ribs protruding in a cross pattern from their undersides as an anti-rotating device (the ribs would sink in the outer sole's leather and hold grip on it. What seems to be border nails have a side flap, seemingly intended to be hammered upwards and then inwards like a staple to grip all three? layers of the sole, as some kind of border reinforcement...
(Sorry, I know that an image is better than a thousand words! :oops: )

Aitor

[richsc]

I have a couple images that might help. The first is a drawing of the overall dimensions of a conical hobnail, minus the ribbing mentioned.



This one is an actual hobnail where you can see the pattern inside the head. These varied, having anywhere from two to six "ribs". When I find the images of the head variations I'll post those.



I don't know of anyone who makes these, but I have a few ideas for making dies for them, with the right machinist.

[deepeeka]

[deepeeka]