Nails – Stainless steel
Nails – Stainless steel
Nails are the oldest metal fasteners in history of mankind. Nowadays they are largely replaced by screws. Nails are simple metal pins with or without a head. They are commonly applied with a hammer, but an airgun can be used as well.
| The life cycle |
Pro 
|
Con 
|
||||
|
High energy Stainless steel is one of the most energy intensive metal to produce, four times more than regular steel. Although a screw is made with just a couple of grams of metal, choosing for galvanized or brass screws will save quite some energy in the long run.
Show Alternatives »
Alternatives connections Low Energy
High footprint Stainless steel production is very polluting, about 10 times more than regular steel (1).
Show Alternatives »
Alternatives connections Low footprint
|
||||||
|
Non toxic No toxics are offgassed or leached from nails Low cost Avoid solid silver nails to save on workshop costs. |
Time consuming Hammering nails by hand is time consuming, but when an air gun is used, it goes fast.
Show Alternatives »
|
|||||
|
Bulky A nailed construction cannot be disassembled. It takes more space, which increases energy use in transportation.
Show Alternatives »
Alternatives connections that are space saving in transport
|
||||||
|
Non toxic No toxics are offgassed or leached from nails Long lifespan Very much depending on the quality, size, and purpose of the nail that is used of course, but they can make a highly durable connection. |
||||||
|
Easy recycling Steel that is used to make nails can easily be recycled, even if the product is fully incinerated. |
Difficult reuse Nails are difficult to remove from the wood. This makes it difficult to reuse the wood. Even more because pieces of metal that are stuck into reclaimed wood can damage woodworking machines.
Show Alternatives »
Alternatives connections that are easy to reuse
|
|||||
Links
How to
Eco info
Environmental impact of stainless steel (New York Times)
-
Other Connections
-
Examples on Harvestmap.org
