How long have chris-nic mag nails been around?
Professional Surveyor magazine did an article for their November 2008 issue. There is a really cool cover photo with stacks of MAG nail boxes surrounding the owner.
I have a letter from the owner I will try to find who told me his personal story.
Here is the link to the PS article.
> How long have chris-nic mag nails been around?
I think since around y2k, give or take a couple years.
1995
This 1995 date is per an email I received from the owner, Bob Zaenkert, on December 10, 2004.
The Short Story
The creation of MAG nails was the result of Bob Zaenkert's 1st grade science project. With the help of his grandfather he received First Place. Many years later he was selling surveying supplies and a rep brought him a new metal locator to sell. The rep told him to take a magnet and paint it to look like a piece of steel instead of a magnet. Then the locator of course would start screaming when brought over the magnet. Zaenkert had better morals than to do something like that to fool his customers. Later he was using a locator and going over a PK nail with a customer. The customer asked why someone didn't make a better survey nail. After much thinking, he remembered his 1st grade science project, so he magnetized a PK nail. The detection on a magnetized PK nail was about 5 times greater than a regular PK nail, but when struck with a hammer, it lost the magnetism. It took Zaenkert two years to perfect the process and develop the MAG nail.
The Short Story
When I started out in surveying in 1999 Mag nails had only been out for a short while. We still had numerous boxes of PK nails we used. The story I heard way back then was that it was my boss who suggested the better nails while talking with Zaenkert about the purchase of a locater. I can't verify that story, but we did get all of our surveying supplies delivered by Zaenkert. I'd be interested to hear who he was showing that locator to just to see if I was being fed a story for the sake of being the "new guy" or if it is true.
