Ditch the Bent Nail

Drew at Sail Delmarva has a new take on an old method:

I've been doing a series of tests on backing plate materials, drilling, de-coring, de-epoxy filling, and re-drilling innumerable holes in balsa cored laminate. The standard method is to use a bent nail to pulverized the balsa.

Bent nail

Well, ditch that. At the suggestion of another DIY sailor I tired a notched roofing nail.

• The drill bucks less. Particularly helpful on larger holes.
• The dust is finer and hence easier to remove. No need to dig it out with a nail.
• You are less likely to miss a spot, though as the pictures show, both methods can do a very nice job.

Notched roofing nail

Dremel cutters work, producing fine dust that is easier to remove, but the undercut is only 0.09-inch vs 0.19-inch for the bent nail or roofing nail. By the time you cut a bevel for sealant, there isn't much left for a seal.

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The right tool for the job bay be the notched roofing nail