Potential Aluminum Nail Stake

I'd imagine there would be interest. Wonder how they compare to aluminum gutter nails? I'd imagine the gutter nails are made of cheeeeeeeeeeeap aluminum.

I am not sure if any manufacturer would/has ever said the grade aluminum they use for gutter nails/spikes but I am sure its on the cheap side. My guess is something around 30,000 psi since gutter spikes will bend pretty easily while my 7075-T6 stakes are hard to bend and are something like 83,000 psi.

That's a good price without the Easton weakness.. Why did Easton glue on those upper sections and create the problem-guess they don't usually cross drill? Other question is length. 8 inches looks better for total pull out resistance, but I think Y and J cross sections are very viable and Coglans has an 8 inch Y that no one has tested.

Sounds awesome! I've ripped the heads off of way too many easton stakes recently. I'd be sure to buy some

I'd be interested… could you post some pics, and do some durability tests? :)

Count me in for 10

Lawson,

Presently I carry 12 Vargo standard 6.5" titanium shepherds hook stakes. Their weight totals up to 96 grams.

Using your quoted weight of 10+ grams for your potential 6" stakes the total weight would work out to 120+ grams for the same number of stakes.

I think the larger diameter of your stakes would offset the extra length of the ones I presently use in regards to holding power.

If we settle for round numbers here the difference between the two sets of stakes works out to .85 – 1.0 ounces for a set of 12 stakes.

Based on your projected sales price I don't think anyone would bark about carrying the extra ounce. I know that I wouldn't gripe about carrying the extra folding money that the difference in price would put in the pocket of my hiking shorts. :-)

Your silent business partner :-)

Heck, I'd buy a set just because of the pretty red anodized color that would make it easy for my aging eyes to find them when breaking camp.

Go for it. :-)

Party On,

Newton

I'd be highly interested in getting quite a few to replace my Easton stakes…maybe my y-stakes too.

Sounds Good! I will work on having these tent stakes available for more testing in the next month or so.

I also have been working on a having my own cord made. Right now it looks like it will be 1.7-2.5mm range with a bright hi-viz yellow polyester reflective sheath and black tracers. I am not sure yet if I will use a polyester core or a spectra core since the price and minimum order goes up tremendously with the spectra core. The price looks like it will be in the $.16-$.24 per foot range depending on core type.

I almost forgot. 100% made in the USA!

What do you guys think?

sounds great… keep us posted! :D

"black reflective tracers"

???

I would think that silver-colored reflective tracers would be more effective and cheaper to produce.

–B.G.–

Lawson,

>>black reflective tracers<<
If it lights up at night when you shine an LED light on it so I can find my way back to my tarp the color works for me.

>>$.24 per foot<<
If you can do the spectra core at this price and make it here, GO FOR IT! If I did the math correctly 50' would be $12.00. This would be my choice for the biggest bang for the buck.

I picked up some polyester core line like this locally that retailed for $9.99. At your $.16 per foot price that works out to $8.00 per 50'. Either of your core choices would be a bargain.

If your stakes and cord would have been around when I purchased my present gear I could have kept @ $18.00 in my wallet.

I hope to see it soon on your site.

Party On,

Newton

Correction. The reflective thread is in the hi-viz yellow sheath and the tracers are black. The contrast between the black and yellow makes the cord stand out and easy to see.

Are these still coming?

Why do you sell them with cord?
i think most people here change the cord on most stakes they buy, we cannot make a stake but we can easily choose the cord we like.

I wanted to sell an UL cord, stake and bag kit but have decided to abandon the idea. The stakes are coming : )

Some UL'ers may be colorblind. Is there an anodizing choice other than red that shows up well? What color does everyone like?

I might be in for 12. Flashy colors work such as red or bright green. What's the exact weight?
Do you have any pictures?

Hi Lawson

6" is too short for many soils. You need to offer 8" stakes as well.

Cheers

> I am not sure yet if I will use a polyester core or a spectra core since the
> price and minimum order goes up tremendously with the spectra core.

Look at a Dacron core. Quite strong enough and a wee bit cheaper than Spectra. :-)

Cheers

2mm Marlow Excel Pro comes in "Lime" color that is actually yellow. The core is parallel run polyester with a durable poly cover. They also make the line in MANY different colors, and comes in 3mm too. Cheap!

2mm Marlow Excel Racing is a spectra core (also called Dyneema)with a polyester cover. Very good line again in "Lime" or many other colors (blue, red, purple, white, etc. Comes in 1.5mm (1/16") but its sooooo friggin tiny that once you tie a bowline or figure-8 and wrench on it, it's very hard to untie do to size.

I use a combo of 2mm Excel Racing and 7/64" pure dyneema called Amseel Blue. You can splice the 7/64" line onto tie-out points and it ties/unties easy, but holds very well. Doesn't sag under tension.

If you want to put a kit together, buy a spool of the Excel racing and include a few feet of it with your stakes.

BTW— I too am interested in the stakes you're making, keep me posted. Thanks

Hey Roger,

I agree. With Dacron you get alot of bang for your buck.

As far as sizes go, I want to offer the nails in 6" and either 8" or 9". 8" weighs 13.25 grams and 9" weighs almost 15 grams. Both hold great so it will come down to what more people want.

Thanks,
Lawson

I wanted to give an update. The original nails stakes were made on a metal lathe but after talking to every machine shop around there really was no way to get this nail stake in its original form for under $2.00. Now I realize the Easton has some downfalls with the head falling off but at $2.00 each, I wouldn't be able to sell enough of my nail stakes justify making them.

So I decided to think "outside the box" and contact companies that manufacture nails. I was able to find a company that has forming machine that can make a 7" round shank nail. They tried several different alloys and found a aircraft grade aluminum that has a tensile strength of 65,000 psi that works perfectly for this application.

Anyways the problem is the minimum.. I have to commit to 100lbs which is about 5,000 nails. They were able to make me some samples and they are awesome. They weigh 11 grams each, they are 7" long and have a 5mm diameter shaft. In order to keep them strong and simple I clove hitched a piece of my new reflective orange cord under the head and all my testing so far shows that this is a really good method of attaching a pull cord without destroying the strength with a thru hole.

If I decide to sell them, I am thinking $.75-$1.00 each.

Here is a photo:

5,000 is a lot of nails.

Ryan