SHOP TOUR Acorn Manufacturing
right ( from left) Acorn offers both functional and decorative strap hinges in classic patterns. • Hand- cut clinch nails offer superior holding power without splitting wood.
historical nails, and baseboardradiator covers may not sound related, but at Acorn Manufacturing, they are all part of the history-minded company long known for its forged builders’ hardware. The third-generation business began in owner Eric Delong’s grandfather’s garage, in 1937. Acorn acquired Tremont
Nail, the oldest maker of square-cut nails in the nation, in 2006. Another acquisition,
Overboards, makes highquality, decorative covers for baseboard heaters.
Acorn’s signature product is its forged-iron builders’ hardware, made in its factory in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The process starts with milled steel that’s been rolled to impress a surface pattern, which resembles weathered steel. Individual pieces of hardware are stamped in small batches at various pressures, using a 125-ton die press. Complex pieces, like ornate strap hinges, are first laser cut and forged, then hand hammered. Anything with a curl or bend is subjected to hot-forged treatments, which are hand manipulated. The result is hardware that’s timeless, in styles suited to period homes.
Still marketed under the 200-year-old brand name, the roughly 30 varieties made by Tremont Nail are heated and cut on antique machines made ca. 1850–1900. Forged nails have almost twice the holding power of wire-cut nails. They cut into the grain of the wood rather than splitting it. Common, clinch rosehead, spike, and other varieties closely resemble nails found in houses a century old or more, so they’re ideal for restoration. Some varieties are also annealed—heat-treated at high temperatures and quenched with water—which produces superior masonry nails. Ironically for such an old business, Tremont’s annealed nails are in especially high demand in new construction in hurricaneprone areas in the South and Caribbean.