# Nail gun keeps jamming



## hubaseball02

I have a 16 gauge nail gun that keeps jamming up. Does this happen to others? What are some common problems? What are some solutions to stop this? Thanks


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## woodnthings

*me too*

Check for correct air pressure.
I was using the wrong brand on nails...Paslode in a Senco. They looked like they would work...NOT:no:
Cheap nails from HF may not work. :blink: bill


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## cabinetman

hubaseball said:


> I have a 16 gauge nail gun that keeps jamming up. Does this happen to others? What are some common problems? What are some solutions to stop this? Thanks


What exactly happens? Where does the jam happen and what do you do to clear it? Does more than one emit at a time, or does the nose get jammed before the nail comes out?












 







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## hubaseball02

cabinetman said:


> What exactly happens? Where does the jam happen and what do you do to clear it? Does more than one emit at a time, or does the nose get jammed before the nail comes out?
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It will fire 1 nail and the next one jams in the nose.


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## cabinetman

hubaseball said:


> It will fire 1 nail and the next one jams in the nose.


Is it an older gun, or one that has been used a lot?












 







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## Kenbo

I had a problem like that. I pulled the gun apart, and it turns out that at some point in time, the drive pin had been damaged, which cause the nail to only eject about 1/2 was and jam in the nose. I was able to file and hammer out the damage in the drive pin and I haven't had a problem since.


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## Kenbo

If you are interested in reading the problem I had, the suggestions that were made and the final solution, here's the link to that thread.


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## cabinetman

cabinetman said:


> Is it an older gun, or one that has been used a lot?


I asked this question because If an older gun...bought used, or one that is used a lot, sooner or later will have drive pin problems like Ken's problem.

The drive pin strikes the top of the nail head over and over. What usually happens is that the edges get peened (mushroomed over), and the end of the pin gets a bit larger. This can cause the pin to hit off center, or catch more than one nail at a time.

The other problem is that the end of the pin can just get rounded, which makes the contact with the nail head less than direct and create a jam. The easy fix is to disassemble the gun, in order to access the drive pin. When disassembling any gun, or any tool for that matter, make a mental note of the sequence of disassembly, and hoard the parts that you remove. As funny as it sounds, it's the old joke about re-assembly, and having spare parts left over.

Use a metal file and flatten out the four sides of the pin. This can be just a swipe or two, as the sides may not be all that bad. You don't want to reduce the size of the end of the pin if you can help it. The very end of the pin may be just rounded, but has to be filed flat, and this is where you dress it carefully for flat. The flat end is what gives a good striking surface.

I haven't found much difference in brand of nails, and of the several brands I have bought never found ones that wouldn't work. I guess it could be possible that some brands may have a minute head difference. With the quantities of strips of nails produced it's entirely possible that there could be defective nails (or one nail among many) in the group causing a jam or misfire. I wouldn't attribute that possibility to brand, but to mass production.

As for air pressure, check the directions for your gun. Most of mine like 90 PSI. If you are adjusting the air pressure down to regulate the depth in seating of the nail, that may cause an incomplete firing. On the other side of the pressure issue...too much pressure can blow out seals and o-rings. 

I've used HF's nails and staples and IMO are as good as the leading brands. So, I wouldn't label them as cheap, just less expensive.












 







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## rrich

I have a nail gun that did that also. My solution was three drops air tool of oil before every use.


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## cabinetman

rrich said:


> I have a nail gun that did that also. My solution was three drops air tool of oil before every use.


Oiling requirements are usually detailed in the manual for the gun. To oil before every use, sounds like you could be oiling 25 times a day. Oiling once a day (the day you are working) seems to take care of normal gun operation (or as needed if heavy use). I think if lack of oiling was the problem, that seals and 'O' rings would go first. Air leaks and lack of pressure would be the problem.












 









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## rrich

Mike,
It's a PC 16 gauge finishing nail gun. It was jamming. (PC Nails) Three drops of oil before each use in the air inlet.

What can I say? Oil = No jams. Nothing else was changed. And each use is when I take it out of the case and before connecting to the air hose. When I was installing crown molding, it was oil once in the morning and once in the afternoon.


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