Abstract: A steel fastener has an elongate shank, an enlarged head formed at one end of the shank, and a generally pointed tip formed at the other end of the shank. A grooved portion of the shank is formed with helical grooves defining helical ribs and with annular grooves defining annular rings. The shank has a cylindrical portion between the grooved portion and the tip and a cylindrical portion between the grooved portion and the head. Each of the annular grooves has a root where deepest and each of the annular rings has a crest where largest. The roots define an imaginary cone diverging toward the tip. The crests define an imaginary cone converging toward the tip. The shank has an exterior surface coated with a polymeric coating, which is formed from an aqueous composition containing a water-based acrylic resin and a water-based polyurethane resin. A zinc layer and a chromate conversion layer are provided between the polymeric coating and the exterior surface of the shank.

Abstract: A fastener assembly, such as a nail assembly, includes a row of fasteners held together and maintained in position by an extrudable thermoplastic adhesive composition containing a particulate filler, an extrudable thermoplastic resin reacted with a polar compound, and optional quantities of an additional thermoplastic resin. The adhesive composition provides the fastener assembly with increased rigidity, reduced bending and buckling, and reduced shearing requirements for separating an individual fastener from the row. The invention also includes an adhesive composition useful in the fastener assembly.

Abstract: A building assembly comprises a wooden board, a metal framing member, and a fastener having an elongate shank, an enlarged head, and a generally pointed end and fastening the board to the framing member. The shank has a ringed portion with annular grooves defining annular rings having a uniform, outer diameter, helical grooves intersecting the annular grooves, a cylindrical land having a smaller diameter and dividing the ringed portion into an axially longer subportion nearer to the tip and an axially shorter subportion nearer the head, a cylindrical land between the tip and the ringed portion, and a cylindrical land between the head and the ringed portion. The fastener is driven through the board and through the framing member wall so that the head bears against the board, so that the tip and the shank form, from the wall of the framing member, a generally annular lip projecting toward the tip and so that the lip is disposed around the cylindrical land dividing the ringed portion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a head, having a controlled predetermined shape on an end of an elongate member, such as a wire, which is formed into a fastener, where an end portion of the wire is secured in a predetermined position and axially compressed so as to expand a predetermined amount of wire material radially outwardly and thereby form the head on the wire, and where material flow is directed during axial compression so as to provide the controlled predetermined shape of the head.

Abstract: A building assembly comprises a wooden board, a metal framing member, and a fastener having an elongate shank, an enlarged head, and a generally pointed end and fastening the board to the framing member. The shank has a ringed portion with annular grooves defining annular rings having a uniform, outer diameter, helical grooves intersecting the annular grooves, a cylindrical land having a smaller diameter and dividing the ringed portion into an axially longer subportion nearer to the tip and an axially shorter subportion nearer the head, a cylindrical land between the tip and the ringed portion, and a cylindrical land between the head and the ringed portion. The fastener is driven through the board and through the framing member wall so that the head bears against the board, so that the tip and the shank form, from the wall of the framing member, a generally annular lip projecting toward the tip and so that the lip is disposed around the cylindrical land dividing the ringed portion.

Abstract: A collated screw package is formed with a plurality of parallel screws secured to each other with two wires which are sufficiently friable to permit the screws to be singly detached from the package as the screw is driven by a rotary drilling device. The wires are preferably spot welded to unthreaded portions of each screw which prevents fragments of the wires and fragments of the spot welded joints from interfering with the screw threads. To form the unthreaded portions, the thread of each screw is interrupted for a portion to allow at least one of the wires to be secured to the screw shank at the interruption. The interruption is formed by a relief in a continuous surface of thread forming tooling.

Abstract: A process for coating a metal fastener with a coating composition that has a particular affinity for plaster materials is disclosed. The composition comprises a mixture of a copolymer of an aromatic monomer, preferably styrene, and a monomer with .alpha., .beta. unsaturation with carboxyl groups, preferably maleic anhydride, and a thermoplastic resin disposed within an organic solvent. The resin is preferably polyvinyl acetate, and the solvent can be an aromatic solvent, a ketone, a chlorohydrocarbon, or a mixture there of. The coating composition is disposed within a reservoir, and the fastener is dipped into the composition within the reservoir. The coated fastener is then subsequently dried at approximately ambient temperature.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a head, having a controlled predetermined shape, on an end of an elongate member, such as a wire, which is formed into a fastener, where an end portion of the wire is secured in a predetermined position and axially compressed so as to expand a predetermined amount of wire material radially outwardly and thereby form the head on the wire, and where material flow is directed during axial compression so as to provide the controlled predetermined shape of the head.

Abstract: Nails having radially offset, circular heads are manufactured from a malleable wire. The wire is clamped so that a leading portion extends axially from a clamping mechanism. The extending portion is bent at an acute angle relative to a clamping axis. The extending portion is cut so as to form a pointed end thereon and so as to leave a bent stub extending at such an angle. Such a nail head is formed from the stub, which is pressed by a punch into a cavity defined by the clamping mechanism, and which is deformed when pressed thereinto. The cavity has a fully circular, offset margin. The punch has a face covering the cavity. Once released, the wire is fed axially until a leading portion extends as before. These operations are repeated to form a similar nail in each repetition. A novel apparatus for carrying out these operations is disclosed.

Abstract: A metal fastener, suitable for use in connection with wood construction and coated with a polymeric residue produced by removing water from an aqueous dispersion of a film-forming, thermoplastic, predominantly aliphatic polyurethane resin, so as to thereby reduce penetration force, increase withdrawal force, and protect against corrosion, is disclosed. Before the polyurethane coating is applied, a zinc layer is applied so as to coat the fastener, and a chromate conversion layer is applied so as to coat the zinc layer.

Abstract: A coated metal fastener and a coating composition that has particular affinity for plaster materials and the like is disclosed. The composition that is applied to the fastener contains a copolymer of styrene and maleic anhydride and a thermoplastic resin, preferably polyvinyl acetate, in an inert organic solvent. The organic solvent can be an aromatic solvent, a ketone, a chlorohydrocarbon, or a mixture thereof. The composition is applied to the fastener by conventional methods and cured thereon at about ambient temperature.

Abstract: A workpiece-treating system and a related method are disclosed. Workpeices, such as for example coils of collated nails, are conveyed successively into a first container for treatment within a first bath, such as, for example a nail-cleaning bath, out from the first container, into a second container for treatment within a second bath, such as, for example nail-coating bath, and out from the second bath. A carrousel having three workpiece-holding platforms is used to convey the workpieces as mentioned. Means are provided for mounting the carrousel so as to enable the platforms to be conjointly and selectively raised or lowered and to enable the carrousel to be selectively indexed about a vertical axis through a cycle of three working positions when the platforms are raised. Means are provided for rotating each platform about a vertical axis for a selected period of time.

Abstract: Wire nails are collated by means for conveying the nails in a specified manner and by means comprising a wheel for engaging keyways defining flat surfaces on the shanks of the nails. Each nail is rotated by the wheel, about an axis of the shank of such nail, to such extent as may be then necessary to orient the keyways of such nail and of other nails with such surfaces defining a plane. The wheel fits between end surfaces defined by the keyways so as to cause the keyways that have been engaged by the wheel to define a continuous channel.

Abstract: Nails suitable for outdoor use, such as, for example, roofing nails, are formed from carbon steel wire precoated with a metallic layer, which has corrosion-resistant properties, such as, for example, a zinc layer applied by pre-galvanizing the stock carbon steel wire. Each nail is formed with a shank and with a head. The metallic layer is discontinuous within a region formed upon the head of each nail. The nails are collated by means of collating wires welded to the shanks of the nails. The collated nails are coiled. The coiled nails are cleaned in a cleaning bath, such as, for example, 1,1,trichloroethane. The cleaned nails are coated with a polymeric layer, which covers the region of the head of each nail where the metallic layer is discontinuous, thus restoring the corrosion-resistant properties of the nails.

Abstract: A substitute strip of collated nails having cylindrical shanks of an uniform diameter, which is smaller than the uniform diameter of the shanks of the nails of a standard strip, and being collated by a pair of tapes. Each tape extends across the nail shanks and is adhered by an adhesive layer to a respective one of diametrically opposed areas on the shank of each nail of the substitute strip. As distinguished from the standard strip, at least one tape of the substitute strip has an outer rib extending along such tape. Because of the outer rib or outer ribs, the substitute strip and the standard tape can be interchangeably fed by a nail-feeding magazine of a rapidly acting, nail-driving tool.

Abstract: An adhered strip of nails that are held together, including a filament disposed under compression between the nail shanks to maintain the spacing between the shanks. The nails are also adhered by at least one adhesive tape extending across the shanks of the nail, which tape covers the filament and leaves an open area between the nail shanks other than the tape and said filament.