Subject: Re: Blacksmith Shop Design - RUSTY NAILS

From: Willie Calhoun <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 07:50:24 -0600

At 03:59 AM 3/31/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi gang..
>
>I've heard of this over the years, but I've never seen any original
>documentation of it.  Has anyone ever found any?  Or, is this an old wive's
>tail?
>
>Kent   :o)
>[email-masked]
>
>Some where around here I have some that my great grandfather made about the
time of the Civil War.  They are still in great shape the last time I saw
them a couple of years ago.
Willie

---

From: Ralph Snel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 1996 20:19:44 METDST

> them a couple of years ago.

I just happened to see this in the Danish book "Det Daenske smideri fra middel
alder til nu" (Danish smithing from the middle ages until now) written by
Jens Henningsen in 1938:
"In the town of Ribe in 1703 a house collapsed unexpectedly. When the
authoroties investigated the event they found that nearly all the nails
from the outer walls were missing. After further investigation they found
a smith in a nearby town, who had tens of thousands of used nails in his
smithy. He had paid local boys to get him "used" nails. This had gone on
for quite a while, until one of the houses in Ribe was so devoid of nails
that it could not support itself. Three people were killed in the collapse,
the blacksmith was hanged for murder."

Ralph Snel
[email-masked]
Sweden