Nails have formed part of handymen, tradesmen and DIY fans for thousands of years as hooks, fasteners pegs and hangers but, with a bit of creativity, they can also be used for a number of crafts and projects. Here are 12 of the most interesting projects we have found which use nails in a less traditional way.
Decorative Miniature Knives
Have you even seen miniature knives made from nails? We love this creative project which also teaches you a bit about metal working. The twisted handles look great and the guide, Miniature Knife by pennabilli, covers annealing and forging your own knife.
Nail Puzzle
This classic puzzle has been around for many years. The idea is fairly simple, bend two in such a way that they connect together and come apart in a certain way however the guide, Puzzle, is a bit trickier than it seems.
Vintage Magnetic Bottle Opener
This is a super easy project and it is certainly one of the more creative. This vintage Magnetic Bottle Opener by mikeasaurus is clean and simple, perfect for a beginner.
Nail Jewelry
Here are a couple of jewelry items which you can make using nails, Horse Shoe & Cement Jewelry, author Fikjast Scott.
Add Decorative Accents
If you’ve got some wooden objects which you’d like to add some accents to, use nails. Check out how AverageJoesJoinery made these great coasters, How to Make Drinks Coasters With Inlay.
Pin Art Toy
Here’s a guide, Pin Wall by rimamonsta which shows you how to make your own pin art toy which uses pins to produce a duplicate 3D shape on the front of the board of whatever is pressed onto the back of the board.
Calipers
After you’re done forging knives and some jewelry, you could try making your own tools as well. Here’s a small caliper made by forging and soldering. The guide, Caliper From Wire by Pricklysauce, teaches you techniques which could be used to make all sorts of tools and implements.
Reclaimed Hammer
Speaking of tools, here’s a hammer which is made entirely from old rusty nails. Timsway shows you how to Make a (Working!) Steampunk Hammer.
If you enjoy reclaimed projects, have a look at these ideas for turning old pallets into useful furniture for your home.
Nail Games
Games involving driving a nail into a block of wood have become a tradition in bars and taverns around the world. Check out How to Play (Stump) by smithallen_studio.
Trick Box
Similar to the nail games, can you figure out how to open this box? Small nails are an integral part of this Trick Opening Box by author Fathomlis, follow the guide and you’ll also find out how to open it.
String Art
String art is fairly well known and is also really simple to do. Here are two great examples of string art made with a wooden board, a couple of nails and some string. The techniques used to make a string artwork are pretty simple so its the perfect project for a newbie. Here is a String Art `World Map´ project by He Se.
Balancing Nails Puzzle
Here’s another puzzle/game themed project. Can you balance a handful on top of the one in the wooden block? Have a look at this project, Balance 10 on One by somebullcrap, to find out how and make your own coffee table puzzle.
And that’t it. Now you’ve got a couple of ideas to use nails in extraordinary ways. Have you thought of or seen any other creative uses? Let us know in the comments section below!