Hi I would use a Ramset Powdered Activated Gun with the type of nail and charge into which you wanted to drive these special nails They can be driven into steel and concrete but special training is required so you can identify the charge required for over charging could lead to the nail passing through steel or concrete and killing some one near by. Out here you need a licence to operate a Ramset Gun.
Ray . ----- Original Message ----- From: "M.J. Terblanche" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 4:46 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review > Hi, > Only wood is mentioned here, can it drive nails into brick / mortar walls? > Thanks, > Matthys > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Boyce, Ray > To: [email protected] > Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 1:27 AM > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review > > > Hi Everyone > GMC Website - > http://www.gmcompany.com > > GMC 18v Magnesium Strike Allnailer > Review > > So you have a nail to drive... what are your options? Naturally, the first > that probably comes to mind is the trusty old hammer (in its many > variations). > Next on the list is probably the pneumatic nail gun (and its many > variations). But what comes after that? Suddenly the options become > extremely limited. > > Well, Global Machinery Company (GMC) is attempting to add yet another nail > driving tool variant to the list of possibilities with their new Magnesium > Allnailer > tool. It promises to offer all the ease of a power tool but without the > restriction of expensive or hard to find nails for pneumatic tools. Plus, > it's > a world's first in terms of nailer design! Let's see how it works, and > whether it does the job it is designed to do well. > > GMC Magnesium Allnailer > When I first saw and heard about the Allnailer, I immediately thought... > "here we go, another cordless nail gun that is probably not powerful > enough to > drive anything more than brads into softwoods", like many other cordless > nail guns and bradders flooding the market. When one purchases such a > tool, they > often end up having to buy a pneumatic nail gun and compressor because > they discover the cordless nailers are just not up to scratch for most > tasks. So > what makes the Allnailer different to these other cordless nailers? > > Well, to begin with, the Allnailer functions a little differently to most > nail guns. Instead of a single, rapid burst of air that is used to thrust > a driver > on conventional pneumatic nailers, the Allnailer uses somewhat of a > continuous hammering action, much like you would experience with an air > hammer chisel, > or a jackhammer. So the nail is driven in with successive blows rather > than one single burst of power. This alone offers benefits over other nail > gun types > which we will see later. But for now, lets take a look at the features of > the Allnailer from the outside. > > Packaging and Contents > The Allnailer ships in a plastic molded case. It offers great protection > during shipping, and when transporting the tool around. As a result, the > tool arrived > free of dings, dents or other shipping damage. Inside the case you will > find the Allnailer itself, two 18v batteries, and a user manual. > Naturally, being > a "new" tool in terms of design, every new owner should read the > instruction guides. This nailer works differently to pneumatic nailers, > and hence, requires > different steps and technique to drive nails. The full color product > manual will provide all the instruction you will need to operate the tool > correctly > and safely. > > The Power Packs + Charger > The Allnailer ships with two 18v Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) cordless > batteries. Each has a 1.5Ah capacity, which is probably average for a > reasonably good quality > power tool. The batteries connect to the bottom of the Allnailer handle > via standard battery clips that are secure, but easy to remove when you > need to > switch a battery or charge one up. The batteries actually slide onto the > bottom of the tool and then click in place to secure them. Naturally, a > mains > charger is included in the kit for restoring battery charge levels. In the > marketing blurb it states the charger is a 1-hour rapid charger. I have > been > skeptical of these claims with other product reviews in the past because > the batteries end up taking anywhere between 2 to 4 hours to charge. The 1 > hour > charger in this kit however does indeed seem to rate to the one hour mark. > I timed the first charge cycle of the batteries and it came in at around 1 > hour > 15 minutes, but it could have actually finished charging 5 minutes prior > to this as I was only really checking it every 5 minutes or so. Bear in > mind that > charge cycle time will likely decrease with future recharges, likely > bringing charge time down to the one hour mark, and in some cases, even > less. > > The charger itself features 2 LED lights to display charge status. The > battery is fully charged when the green ("charge complete") light is > illuminated. > If the red light is on, the battery is still in the charging cycle. > Nothing complicated here, but it works just fine. The battery mounts on > the charger > at an angle to one side. This is pretty insignificant however. Of course, > with two batteries in the kit, you should always have one charged and > ready to > go. One can be in use while the second is charging. Each battery has a > rubber protective coating around the base. I guess it helps protect the > edges if > you knock it around a bit, or at least protect your work surfaces or > benches from casing scratches. > > Battery Life > Battery life seems pretty good. While I haven't yet needed the tool for an > all-day nailing task, I have managed to use the tool successfully for > framing > three interior walls from scratch and there was no sign the battery was > slowing down. This was about 140 nails worth after I got through it all. > It is > claimed the Allnailer can drive up to 360 50mm nails into pine according > to GMC's own tests. I'd believe that based on my experience and use of the > tool. > In hardwood however, or if using longer nails (and hence requiring longer > tool cycle) the total number of nails that can be driven on a full battery > charge > is likely to be lower. In my testing, I drove about 60 75mm nails into > some dense hardwood and the battery charge indicator feature (which we > will see > shortly) was showing a little over half a charge remaining, so I guess you > could expect about 100-140 nails in dense hardwood on a full charge. Of > course, > there are a lot of variables to these estimates, including nail length, > nail diameter, species of wood, moisture content of wood, and so on, so > just use > these estimates as rough guides. Your mileage may vary greatly in some > cases. > > Battery Level Indicator > Just above the installed battery pack on the base of the Allnailer itself > is the battery level indicator. With a battery installed, all it takes is > a press > of the battery indicator button to check the current level of battery > charge. There are 3 bright white lights; one that indicates "Low" charge, > one for > "Medium" and one for "High". If the battery is fully charged, all three > lights will illuminate fully. As the charge decreases, the highest charge > light > dims progressively. As charge further decreases, only the Low and Medium > lights illuminate to indicate approximately 50% charge remaining. As > charge further > decreases, eventually only the "Low" light will remain. Once fully > depleted, no lights illuminate and it's time to put the battery back on > the charger > again. The level indicator is a handy guide to determining battery charge > level, particularly if the tool hasn't been used for a period of time > (where > battery charge can deplete on the shelf). It will avoid downtime waiting > for batteries to charge after you discover they are flat just when you > need to > use them! > > Body & Tool Construction > As the product name implies, the Allnailer features magnesium > construction. Magnesium seems to be the material of choice for quality > power tools these days > as it offers excellent strength without the added weight of traditional > tool making metals. GMC seems to be leading the charge with magnesium use, > as many > of their new products now feature this material as part of their build, > with only a handful of other tool manufacturers following along. The upper > and > forward drive section of the tool features the magnesium material, whereas > the less-critical and non-impact areas, such as the handle and lower > casing > is constructed from hardened plastic. The handle also features a rubber > overmold for comfort and slip resistance. Despite the lightweight outer > materials, > the tool still weighs about 2.9kg. This is because most of the inner > working components are metal construction, namely the steel piston and > drive anvil > which do all the "hammering" work. > > Controls > The tool features a variable speed trigger which allows the user to > control the speed of the hammering/driving action. The nailer has a > no-load speed range > of 0 - 16,000 min-1 and an actual hammer rate in use between 0 - 5500 bpm. > Simply depress the trigger for the hammering speed required. There is a > trigger > lock slide switch on the tool just above the trigger to help prevent > unwanted starting of the tool as well. > > Offering variable speed allows you to control the nail driving speed, > allowing you to have some control over issues like excessive wood > splitting or over-driving > of nails, particularly if you want them to remain proud of the surface > (for whatever reason). > > A better way to control nail depth however is the depth control wheel. It > offers 4 depth settings and the user can switch between these by first > pressing > the knob inward, and then rotating it to the desired setting. Settings are > marked 1 through 4 on the adjuster and equate to the following depth of > drive; > List of 4 items > * Position 1: Nail head underflush by 1mm > * Position 2: Nail head level with surface > * Position 3: Nail head 5mm proud from surface > * Position 4: Nail head 10mm proud from surface > list end > > This adjustment control works well in use and seems to function to specs > above no matter what type of wood you are driving a nail into, or the size > of the > nail itself, unlike pneumatic tools where the nail can often be overdriven > or underdriven easily if you haven't done some prior testing on scrap > material > first. In use I mostly used Position 2 for the majority of tasks - setting > nail head level with surface. On rare occasions I had difficulty with > Position > 1, where I couldn't get the nail to drive under the surface of the > material I was nailing into. Not sure why, but occasionally it would not > go all the > way. May have been the nail head type I was using in those instances > (thicker head than standard nails)?? > > Nail Compatibility > One of the features that makes this product unique in the power > nail-driving world is its ability to use a wide range of commonly > available nail types. > No longer are you restricted to purchasing expensive strip or coil nails > that have to be exact fits for your particular nail gun type. The > Allnailer can > use many types of loose nails you can buy from just about anywhere, and > has the capacity to drive nails from 40mm (1 9/16") to 150mm (5 29/32") in > length > with up to a 10mm diameter nail head! The following table lists common > nails and lengths the Allnailer can drive: > > Table with 5 columns and 8 rows > NAIL LENGTH > Brad > Round > Serrated > Clout > 40mm > (1 9/16") > No > Yes > No > No > 50mm > (1 31/32") > Yes > Yes > No > Yes > 60mm > (2 3/8") > Yes > Yes > No > No > 75mm > (2 15/16") > No > Yes > Yes > No > 100mm > (3 15/16") > Yes > Yes > No > No > 125mm > (4 15/16") > No > Yes > No > No > 150mm > (5 29/32") > No > Yes > No > No > table end > > The range of nail types that can be used is made possible by the > Allnailer's Universal Nail Clamp. This fixture on the front of the driving > shaft grips > the shaft of the nail and places the head of the nail directly in line > with the driving anvil. A conveniently-located nail insert trigger located > above > the main power trigger allows you to open or close these clamping jaws to > insert a nail ready to be driven. > > So How Does it Work? > Basically, the tool's motor drives an internal piston which compresses air > against the the steel driving anvil. The spring-loaded anvil then strikes > the > nail head, while the nail is gripped by the nail clamp. This action is > repeated continuously until the nail is driven to full depth. The > Allnailer puts > out a bit of vibration as this process is undertaken, but it is "muffled" > in comparison to what you might expect from an air chisel, as an example, > which > seems to have a sharper punch with more recoil. The Allnailer's driving > action is a little more sedate and steady with less recoil, but it gets > the job > done. Soundwise it can be a bit noisy, reaching up to 96 decibels during > use. Ear protection is a must, as is eye protection, but this should be > common > sense. Although I was once told that common sense is far from "common", so > use that grey matter and keep yourself safe! Apart from the sound and > mandatory > eye protection, the Allnailer is not nearly as dangerous as a pneumatic > gun. We have all seen those X-ray photos of a framing nail imbedded in > someone's > skull. Although they seem like fantasy, many of those images are indeed > real. It would be pretty much impossible to do similar damage to yourself > unintentionally > using the Allnailer, as it drives in smaller successive blows, rather than > one big powerful bang! > > Another advantage of this tool is its accuracy. Unlike a pneumatic nailer > where it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint a nail driving location, or > angle, > the Allnailer allows you to accurately set a nail to be driven, and at an > angle of your choosing. Simply start driving the nail in the required > location > and at the required angle, and hold the tool at that same angle until the > nail is fully driven into the material for accurate results. > > Being cordless, the tool does not require an air compressor, air hose or > electrical cord. This means it can be taken and used pretty much anywhere. > There > are no limitations to where the tool can be used, except for say, really > tight places, where the tool itself cannot fit in the space or gap. I am > sure > current pneumatic nail gun users could appreciate not having to drag a > hose around behind them! > > But will the Allnailer replace the pneumatic nail gun? Well, I'd say... > yes and no. Where it wont replace the pneumatic nailer is in commercial > building > and construction work where nailing is a constant ongoing process and fine > accuracy is not really a consideration, like when framing a house. The > fact > is that a pneumatic nailer is indeed much faster than the Allnailer in > driving nails (about 3 times as fast per nail), plus the time it takes to > load each > nail individually. In these cases, that adds up to a lot of time saved if > you are shooting hundreds or thousands of nails each day. But this doesn't > mean > a contractor could not make use of the Allnailer. In fact there is no > reason your couldn't frame an entire house with the Allnailer. It would > indeed do > the job if there was no other option. > > Remembering that the Allnailer requires no hoses and can use many nail > types, there may be the occasional odd fixing task on the building site > where it > is quicker and easier to use the Allnailer for small scale tasks, and when > the contractor doesn't wish to swing a hammer around in completing those > tasks. > So, it is a case of choosing the best tool for the job. > > The Allnailer is similar in action to a pneumatic palm nailer, but again, > you have freedom from hoses and the need for an air compressor and > electrical > outlet (if using an electrically powered compressor). Additionally, some > palm nailers require you to change driving heads to use different types of > nails. > This is not the case with the Allnailer, so there are some differences > between the two. > > Does it Do the Job? > Simply put, yes. It successfully drives nails of all types into both > softwood and hardwood. Whether it is the best tool for the job at hand > will depend > on the specifics of that job. For general home handyperson and DIY type > tasks, the Allnailer does indeed make the trusty old hammer look obsolete. > However, > either a pneumatic nail gun or indeed a hammer (if only to use the nail > puller to remove nails) would be complimentary tools to use alongside the > Allnailer > if you want to be able to tackle all types of DIY, home renovation or > building tasks. > > GMC have created a world first with the Magnesium Allnailer. It is > definitely a unique tool and it's good to see a company thinking outside > the square and > coming up with totally new tools rather than re-hashed products that offer > very little in new design or features over their competitors. > > The retail price for the Allnailer is AUD$199 in Australia and US$129.99 > in the USA. It is not a bad price considering the amount of research and > development > that goes into new products. And if you are not fond of hammer and nail > efforts, then the Strike Allnailer offers the modern day equivalent, > helping to > drive nails relatively quickly and very accurately into many materials, > without the bruised thumbs to boot! > > ********************************************************************** > This message and its attachments may contain legally > privileged or confidential information. If you are not the > intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the > information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail > in error, please notify the sender immediately by return > e-mail and delete the e-mail. > > Any content of this message and its attachments which > does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy > must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by > Eraring Energy. No warranty is made that the e-mail or > attachment(s) are free from computer virus or other defect. > ********************************************************************** > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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