For you beaver trappers.
I'm out in the shed putting up beaver and I'm having lots of problems driving nails. The heads are just too greasy, and the hammer head slides off. So, I took those nails and put them in a bucket of hot water laced with Dawn dish soap. A little stirring with a stick and they are now grease free. Sure, makes a difference.
The other thing you should think about Is tossing those nails after a few years since they lose their edge.

Thanks for the tip Beav. Probably wouldn't hurt to do the same thing on push pins.

Good tips.

I've had the same issues. Luckily my thumb and forefinger are there to keep from damaging the boards.

Ain’t that the truth

Thanks for the tip. Got a jar of them so greasy they stick together. Will be a season prep.

It's the little things in life that means so much. They all add up. Great tip beav.

Sarge

Seventy years of pounding greasy nails and I never figured that out?!!! Pete

Only took me a season or two of trying to hold onto greasy nails and hitting my fingers before I switched to a stapler.

I'm with you Brain, with the stapler, not sure my fingers could take the beating anymore

I just can’t get myself to try a stapler. I always raise the fur to the top of the nails as even after 2 days hanging, it’ll still be damp. Board stands so the head is down as it’s drying. Maybe I’m not picturing it right, but when stapling, not only is the fur damp while the hide is drying, it’s flattened on the board kinda going against the reason I board in the first place, to dry the fur/hide and keep the shape consistent for all sizes.
Do you set your staplers to keep them from burying into the hide? Sounds like getting them out could be fun if they’re drifted right in.

I fill a plastic coffee container, ( the one pound size) about half way with nails. Fill with water to just cover the nails, a squirt of Dawn then shake. Hold the lid tightly or it will blow off. Dump the soapy water and rinse, then lay out to drain. After rinsing and drying about an hour, I give them a good spray of WD-40 put them back into the can shake them up again and they store until next Beaver season. I only get about two seasons out of my nails because the get dull.

I use a spacer on the stapler, a cut off fork, have to play around with it to get the spacing right. use a staple rake to remove, can have a beaver off the board in 2 minutes or less. Can also use particle boards instead of plywood with the stapler. I also make sure the beaver are dry before boarding.

Don't forget to clean up the face of the hammer too. A little emery cloth the rough up the face after cleaning sure can make a difference.

Nothing will make a fur buyer drop the price of a lot of beaver faster then a staple that draws blood. I have enough stapled beaver with stales in them when broungt in to sell to know.

and there is a bar code and that grader is going back into the whole piles and checking every beaver that person has put to the auction.....your darn right MJM

Mine are rusty enough that the grease doesn’t matter.

I use an electrical pliers to hold smalll nails…
My hands look worse then my feet…..

I should have mentioned that boiling will help remove the grease.
Like trapper Jim1 I rinse and boil twice.

I tried staples once. The removal was a real pain.