Hobnail installation.

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valkyrie895
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Hobnail installation.

Post by valkyrie895 »

Friends, Comrades, Brothers in Arms,

I have a pair of jackboots which has lost many hobnails.
I have a shoe last and ATF hobnails ready to go.

Has anybody done it, and can offer more detailed instructions than "You will need to make a pilot hole" from the ATF site?

Thanks,

-Karl
Obergefreiter Bodo Fehrmann
II./984. Grenadier Regiment, 275. Infanterie Division


"Will mir die Hand noch reichen,
Derweil ich eben lad'.
Kann dir die Hand nicht geben,
Bleib du im ew'gen Leben
Mein guter Kamerad!"
GraemeMac
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by GraemeMac »

You can 'grind' a standard centre punch to a two pronged cutting tool the same size/width as the prongs on the nails. Simply strike into the sole, on a last, deep enough to just start the nails, then hammer hell out of them.

If you don't have the tools/skills to cut your own tool for it, a flat blade screw driver the correct width can do the job, but you need to strike twice for each nail.

Remember don't strike them too deep, the aim is to get a hole just deep enough to start the nail. If you go too deep the prongs won't separate, thus won't take hold.
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erikbozwo2 wrote: Pyotr, please don't take any advice from peiper.
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Steiner
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by Steiner »

You need a shoe last, for starters.
"Stop that!!! Careful with my J-J!"
pepperpot
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by pepperpot »

Stiener
You need a shoe last, for starters.
???? In the introduction.
ok are they plain shank or barbed, if plain shank the add matchstick(s)to act as wedge, to man made hole which will allow for leather shrinkage/expansion.
If barbed drill/make smaller hole and barb will hold.
If drilling put pvc tape around drill bit for depth.
Before you start check the lenght of the sindle that they wont go through the sole. If they are to long then you will have to shorten the spindle or pack the inside of the foot area.
pepperpot
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Steiner
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by Steiner »

D'oh! :oops:

Some say to soak the soles in water so the leather expands and grips the nails better.
"Stop that!!! Careful with my J-J!"
Panzer Wittman
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by Panzer Wittman »

Once the nails are in, consider applying a rub of linseed oil to the sole.
This tip was given to me years ago and it works for me.
The oil causes a small amount of shrinkage to the sole leather allowing them to grip into the nails better.
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Mattias Sieger
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Re: Hobnail installation.

Post by Mattias Sieger »

These: http://www.atthefrontshop.com/ProductDe ... ode=gfahob are very difficult to work with and they don't last very well. Buy these instead:
http://www.historische-marketenderei.co ... aegel.html

They where more common and far easier to work with. No need to drill holes, all you need is your last, a hammer and a pair of tweezers (to hold the hob nail in place)
Mattias "Sieger" Sidelmann
2.Gruppe
Regimentet
http://www.reenactors.dk
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