# Six nails to the head **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079 "2004-05-07T22:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/1 "2004-05-07T22:03:42Z")
I collect this sort of thing so friends email me pictures. [Six nails to the head](http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040506/D82CQNO80.html) > [@](#): > > A construction worker had six nails driven into his head in an accident with a high-powered nail gun, but doctors said Wednesday they expect him to make a full recovery. [Larger image](http://apnews.excite.com/image/20040505/NAILED_SKULL.sff_LA102_20040505135008.html?date=20040506&docid=D82CQNO80) ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/2 "2004-05-07T22:12:39Z")
…and it’s got Excedrin written ALL over it. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/3 "2004-05-07T22:12:51Z")
I’d be curious to know how you “accidentally” discharge 6 nails with such a good goruping. My money is on the guy with the gun panicking and trying to finish the other guy off. :smack: :eek: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/4 "2004-05-07T22:19:55Z")
Aaaaack!! Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!! … Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!! ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/5 "2004-05-07T22:21:27Z")
ALL right, who stole my caps? All that screaming doesn’t come off anywhere close to my original intent without the caps. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/6 "2004-05-07T22:23:01Z")
“Whoops! Whoops! Whoops! Whoops! Whoops! Whoops!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/7 "2004-05-07T22:27:34Z")
Sounds like he got nailed. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/8 "2004-05-07T22:36:12Z")
Obviously the guy had his nail gun illegally modified for “fully automatic”. Those damn liberals cry about it, but it makes tree fort construction _so_ much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/9 "2004-05-08T03:38:58Z")
[homer simpson]Bang…d’oh! Bang…d’oh! Bang…d’oh! Bang…d’oh! Bang…d’oh! Bang…d’oh![/homer simpson] ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/10 "2004-05-08T04:03:24Z")
That’s one way to keep that toupee’ from slipping. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/11 "2004-05-08T05:24:34Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > I’d be curious to know how you “accidentally” discharge 6 nails with such a good goruping. My money is on the guy with the gun panicking and trying to finish the other guy off. :smack: :eek: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: A lot easier than you might think. The gun was obviously set up with a contact trip (as opposed to a sequential trip). With a contact trip, the usual practice is to simply hold the trigger pulled, and then bump the nose against whatever you’re nailing. Every time the nose of the gun is depressed while the trigger is pulled, it shoots a nail. If something is pushing against the nose of your gun, and you’re gripping the thing in such a way that the trigger is pulled, it will sorta bounce - the nail discharge pushes the thing (in this case the guy’s head) away from the gun, which allows the nose safety to extend, resetting itself. But since the thing (or head) is pushing against the gun, it re-depresses the nose safety, firing again. And, if you don’t let go of the gun, again, and again, and again. With nailers I’ve used, I’d guess six nails would be fired in less than 2 seconds. Maybe less than one, but I’m not sure - I’ve never shot more than 1 accidental nail that way, in addition to the one I intended to sink. But that second nail is fired the merest instant after the first. With a sequential trip, you have to first depress the nose, then pull the trigger, and you can’t get more than one nail per trigger pull. This is safer, but in many applications is substantially slower. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/12 "2004-05-08T23:13:21Z")
_HOLY !!!_ Excuse me, give me just one second to pick my jaw up off the floor. Seriously, I stared open mouthed and stupid eyed at that larger image picture for about a whole minute before I could collect myself. Wow. The many different angles that the nails went in from is the craziest thing of all - they’re just all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/13 "2004-05-09T04:34:30Z")
Apropos of nothing, I used to live in Lancaster. ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-nails-to-the-head/244079/14 "2004-05-09T05:13:03Z")
> [@](#): > > an industrial incident caused a nail gun to shoot nails into his head and brain industrial incident? Or industrial _espionage_? Huh, Huh? Think about it. 😉